Catalog
500 Francs CFA
| Issuer | Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest |
|---|---|
| Year | 2012-2024 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE CENTRALE DES ÉTATS DE L'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST 500 CINQ CENTS FRANCS CFA D |
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| Variants | P#419Da - (20)12. P#419Db - (20)13. P#419Dc - (20)14. P#419Dd - (20)15. P#419De - (20)16. P#419Df - (20)17. |
| Comments |
The BCEAO's 500 franc note is the workhorse of the CFA franc zone, circulating across eight West African member states — Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. The right-side signature rotates with each year's issue, reflecting changes in the BCEAO Governorship, while Tiémoko Meyliet Koné held the Governor's chair throughout this entire run. Koné was later appointed Vice-President of the European Central Bank in 2022 — an unusual career trajectory from a regional African central bank to Frankfurt.
The CFA franc itself has been pegged to the euro at 655.957 francs since 1999, inherited from the fixed rate to the French franc established in 1948.