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500 Francs CFA
| Issuer | Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest |
|---|---|
| Year | 2012-2025 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs CFA CFA (500 XOF) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Brown and orange multicolor note centered on a vignette of a hippopotamus standing in a natural setting, rendered in intaglio against a guilloche underprint with geometric border patterns above and below. "BANQUE CENTRALE DES ÉTATS DE L'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST" runs vertically at left, with "B.C.E.A.O" and "CINQ CENTS FRANCS CFA" at right alongside signature fields for LE GOUVERNEUR and LE PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL DES MINISTRES. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | the BCEAO logo visible when held to light; embedded security thread running vertically through the note. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The BCEAO's 500 Francs series has accumulated an unusually long signature run for a single note type — eight distinct pairings across this date range, nearly all anchored by Tiémoko Meyliet Koné as Governor, whose tenure at the BCEAO ran from 2011 through 2020. The rotating second signatory reflects the position of President of the Board of Directors, a post that turned over repeatedly across this period, tracking political shifts among the eight member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union.
The CFA Franc itself is pegged to the Euro at a fixed rate of 655.957, guaranteed by the French Treasury — an arrangement that periodically resurfaces in West African monetary debates but has remained structurally unchanged since the conversion from the French Franc peg in 1999.