5 Zaïres

By 1985, the Zaïre was deteriorating fast. Inflation had been eroding the currency for years, and the Banque du Zaïre was printing domestically through the Hôtel des Monnaies rather than contracting European security printers — a self-sufficiency push under Mobutu's authenticité program that had mixed results in terms of print quality consistency across the P#26 series.

The single watermark is the only mechanical security feature. Within four years of this note's issue, hyperinflation rendered the 5 Zaïre denomination effectively worthless in daily transactions.