100 Francs / 20 Ariary

The Institut d'Émission Malgache was a transitional authority, established after Madagascar's 1960 independence to manage the currency while the country remained within the Franc Zone. France retained effective monetary control through this arrangement well into the 1970s, which is why the Banque de France continued printing Malagasy notes long after the flag changed.

The dual denomination — francs and ariary — reflects the awkward coexistence of colonial monetary nomenclature with the indigenous unit, where 1 ariary equals 5 francs. The ariary had been in colloquial use for generations before it became official policy.