1 Eusko

The Eusko launched in January 2013 in the French Basque Country — specifically the Pays Basque département — and quickly became the largest circulating local complementary currency in France, a position it still held years after issue. It is not legal tender in any formal sense; acceptance is entirely voluntary among a network of member businesses in the Bayonne area. Euskal Moneta, the issuing association, structured it as a 1:1 exchange with the euro, redeemable at designated exchange points.

The security strip is modest but deliberate — enough to deter casual counterfeiting of a currency whose entire value depends on community trust rather than state enforcement.