5 Ariary motto B

Madagascar's decimal currency system — with the ariary subdivided into iraimbilanja — was introduced in 1961 at independence but coexisted awkwardly alongside the Malagasy franc for decades, creating persistent public confusion that the central bank never fully resolved. The "motto B" designation distinguishes this issue by a reverse inscription variant, a detail that matters more to specialists than it ever did to the Malagasy workers who spent these coins.