50 Lei Anniversary of the national currency

Moldova adopted the leu as its national currency in November 1993, replacing Soviet-era rubles that had already been supplanted by a transitional coupon system — the cuponul moldovenesc — used only briefly after independence in 1991. The 2023 issue marks thirty years from that stabilization, which was supported by IMF technical assistance during one of the more turbulent monetary transitions among the post-Soviet states.