50 000 Lei

Romania's shift to polymer banknotes in the late 1990s and early 2000s was part of a broader reckoning with catastrophic post-communist inflation — by 2000, the leu had lost so much value that a 50,000 denomination was needed simply for routine transactions. The polymer substrate was adopted partly for durability in high-circulation conditions, but also because counterfeiting of the earlier paper issues had become a serious operational problem for the BNR.

This series was eventually demonetized when Romania redenominated in July 2005, replacing 10,000 old lei with 1 new leu — rendering the 50,000 Lei equivalent to just 5 new bani.