500 Francs

The BEAC issues currency across six member states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon — all sharing a single currency pegged to the euro at a fixed rate inherited from the old French franc arrangement formalized in 1945. The 500-franc denomination has long been a workhorse in the region, where banking infrastructure remains sparse and cash transactions dominate even commercial exchange.

The shift to nickel-plated steel for this denomination reflects persistent pressure to cut production costs as metal prices climbed through the 2010s.