1 Kina Bougainville

The Bank of Bougainville was established in anticipation of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville's eventual independence from Papua New Guinea — a separation that had been negotiated into the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement following a brutal decade-long civil conflict that killed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people. This note was issued before any formal referendum, making it a politically premature instrument: Bougainville did not hold its independence vote until 2019, when over 97% voted to separate.

Whether these notes ever functioned as genuine legal tender in any meaningful transactional sense is doubtful. The Bank of Bougainville's formal recognition and operational authority remained deeply ambiguous at the time of issue.