200 Lekë

Albania's switch to polymer for the 200 Lekë came relatively late compared to regional peers — the move was part of a broader modernization push by the Banka e Shqipërisë that also brought updated security architecture across the lower denominations. Thomas De La Rue has supplied Albanian banknotes for decades, so the contract here was no surprise, though the transition from cotton-paper stock to Safeguard Polymer substrate marked a meaningful shift in the physical life expectancy of notes at this denomination, which circulates heavily in everyday retail transactions.