Moldovan leu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Moldovan leu
100 Lei note obverse 1 Leu note obverse
ISO 4217 Code	MDL
User(s)	Moldova (except  Transnistria)
Inflation	4%
Source	National Bank of Moldova, April 2024
Subunit
1⁄100	ban
Symbol	L
Plural	lei
ban	bani
Coins
Freq. used	5, 10, 25, 50 bani, 1 leu, 2, 5, 10 lei
Rarely used	1 ban (discontinued 2017)
Banknotes
Freq. used	20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 lei
Rarely used	1, 5, 10 lei

The leu (pronounced 'lew') is the official money used in Moldova. Its plural form is lei. You'll often see it written with the sign L.

Just like the money in Romania, the Moldovan leu is split into 100 smaller parts called bani (one part is a ban). The word 'leu' actually means 'lion' in Romanian!

What's in a Name? The Story of "Leu"

The name 'leu' comes from an old Dutch coin called the leeuwendaalder. This means 'lion thaler' or 'lion dollar'. This coin had a picture of a lion on it.

Many German and Italian cities made their own versions of this coin. These "lion" coins were used in places like Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria. That's how their money got names like the Moldovan leu, the Romanian leu, and the Bulgarian lev.

Dutch Thaler, showing a lion. This is where the name "Leu" comes from!

A Quick History of the Moldovan Leu

Between 1918 and 1940, and again from 1941 to 1944, Moldova was part of Romania. During these times, the Romanian leu was the money used there.

The Moldovan leu was officially created on November 29, 1993. This happened after the Soviet Union broke apart and the independent Republic of Moldova was formed. It replaced a temporary money called the cupon. One leu was worth 1,000 cupon.

It's important to know that in Transnistria, a region that sees itself as separate but is internationally part of Moldova, they use their own money called the Transnistrian ruble. Moldova and other countries do not officially recognize this money.

Moldovan Coins

Moldova has two main series of coins. The first series came out in 1993. A second series with larger values was released in 2018. Most Moldovan coins are made in Romania.

First Series Coins (1993–Present)

In November 1993, the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) released its first coins. These were 1, 5, 25, and 50 bani, and 1 and 5 lei.

The 1 and 5 lei coins were taken out of use in 1994. This was because they were not very good quality, and many fake ones appeared. In April 1996, a 10 bani coin was added.

In 1997, the NBM decided to replace the old 50 bani coin. The new 50 bani coin was made of brass-plated steel. It had a new design with special features to prevent fakes. These new 50 bani coins started being used on February 2, 1998. The old aluminum 50 bani coins were no longer valid after January 1, 1999.

Today, 1 ban coins are still official money. However, they are almost never used. This means prices are often rounded to the nearest 5 bani.

Coins of the first series (1993–present)
Image	Value	Technical details			Design			Dates
		Diameter	Mass	Material	Edge	Front (Obverse)	Back (Reverse)	Minted	Issued	Withdrawn	Invalid
	1 ban	14.5 mm	0.67 g	Aluminum	Smooth	Value, year	Coat of arms, country name	1993~2017	29 November 1993	Still valid, but not widely used
	5 bani	16 mm	0.75 g					1993~2018		Still valid
	10 bani	16.6 mm	0.85 g					1995~2018
	25 bani	17.5 mm	0.95g					1993~2020
	50 bani	19 mm	1.07 g					1993		January 1, 1999
	50 bani	19 mm	3.1 g	Brass-plated steel	Grooved	Grapevine, value, year		1997~2018	February 2, 1998	Still valid
	1 leu	20.1 mm	3.3 g	Nickel-plated steel	Smooth	Value, year		1992	29 November 1993	1994
	5 lei	22.0 mm	3.6 g					1993

Second Series Coins (2018–Present)

In 2017, the National Bank of Moldova decided to bring back 1 and 5 lei coins. They also introduced new 2 and 10 lei coins. They said coins last longer and are cheaper to make than banknotes over time.

The new coin designs were shown on February 28, 2018. They feature parts of the old coat of arms of Moldavia and the current coat of arms of Moldova. The 1 and 2 lei coins are made of nickel-plated steel. The 5 and 10 lei coins are bi-metallic, meaning they are made of two different metals. These new coins started being used on February 28, 2018. All new leu coins are used alongside banknotes of the same value.

Coins of the second series (2018–present)
Image	Value	Technical details				Design			Dates
		Diameter	Thickness	Mass	Material	Edge	Front (Obverse)	Back (Reverse)	First Minted	First Issued
	1 leu	21.5 mm	1.8 mm	4.45 g	Nickel-plated steel	Segmented (Smooth and grooved parts)	Crescent moon, aurochs' head, coat of arms, country name	Value, year, "R" and "M" in hidden image, part of the coat of arms	2018	April 2018
	2 lei	23.7 mm	2.2 mm	6.7 g		Grooved	Sun, aurochs' head, coat of arms, country name
	5 lei	24.4 mm	2.25 mm	7.1 g	Center: Nickel-plated steel Outer ring: Brass-plated steel	Segmented (Smooth and grooved parts)	Aurochs' horns, crown, star, heraldic rose, coat of arms, country name			Early 2019
	10 lei	25.3 mm	2.3 mm	7.65 g	Center: Brass-plated steel Outer ring: Nickel-plated steel	Grooved with "MOLDOVA*MOLDOVA*"	Stephen the Great's coat of arms, aurochs' head, coat of arms, country name

Special Collector Coins

Since 1996, Moldova has also made special coins for collectors. These are called commemorative coins. You can find a full list of them on the National Bank of Moldova's website.

Moldovan Banknotes

There have been two main sets of Moldovan leu banknotes. The first set was very small, with only 1, 5, and 10 lei notes.

The front of all Moldovan banknotes features a picture of Ștefan cel Mare. He was also known as Stephen the Great. He was a very important ruler of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504.

On the back of each banknote, you can see the first two lines of a famous Moldovan poem called Miorița. These lines, "Pe-un picior de plai, pe-o gură de rai," mean "near a low foothill, at Heaven’s doorsill."

Second Series
Image		Value	Size	Main Color	Design			Dates
Front	Back				Front	Back	Watermark	First Printed	Issued
		1 leu	114 × 58 mm	Yellow	Stephen III	Căpriana monastery	Same as portrait	1994	May 1994
		5 lei		Cyan		St. Dumitru Church, Orhei			April 1994
		10 lei	121 × 61 mm	Red		Hîrjauca monastery			May 1994
		20 lei		Green		Soroca Fort		1992	November 1993
		50 lei		Pink		Hîrbovăț monastery			May 1994
		100 lei		Orange		Tighina Fortress			September 1995
		200 lei	133 × 66 mm	Purple		Chișinău City Hall
		500 lei		Orange and green		Chișinău Cathedral			December 1999
		1000 lei		Blue		Presidential Palace			October 2003

On the front of every banknote, you'll see the same person: Ștefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great). The first two lines of the Miorița ballad are written in a white circle on the front. On the back of all banknotes, you can see pictures of Trajan's Column and The Endless Column.

For a long time, Moldovan leu banknotes didn't use a special printing method called intaglio printing. This method makes parts of the banknote feel raised. Instead, their main security features were a watermark (a faint image you see when holding the note to light), a security thread, and a see-through design.

In 2015, the National Bank of Moldova finally started using intaglio printing and embossing (making raised patterns) for notes from 10 to 500 lei. They also added new security features to most notes. The 1,000 lei banknote still uses the original design.

Exchange Rates

See Also

• Economy of Moldova
• Romanian leu
• Bulgarian lev