25 Bani

Moldova's 1993 coinage series, including this denomination, was introduced after the country abandoned the Soviet-era ruble and adopted the leu as its national currency in November 1993 — itself a reintroduction of the historic Romanian leu name used during the interwar period when Moldova existed as part of Romania. The aluminium composition was a practical choice for a newly independent state with limited hard currency reserves and no established domestic minting infrastructure; the coins were produced abroad.