Moldovan leu marks anniversary of 25 years

Chisinau, 29 November /MOLDPRES/ – The national currency of Moldova (MDL) marks anniversary of 25 years now. On this occasion, the National Bank of Moldova (BNM) issued for the first time a commemorative coin with a face value of MDL 10, and it was opened a numismatic exhibition at the National History Museum (MNI).

The governor of BNM, Sergiu Cioclea, said today at a ceremony dedicated to the MDL anniversary that the strength of a national currency is primarily determined by the spirit, prosperity and freedom of a nation rather than military force or political power. According to Cioclea, the coin is a legend that can tell us a lot about the era in which the people circulated who used it.

Cioclea said that during his term of office, the task of BNM was to regain confidence in MDL after the financial crisis and bank fraud. The Governor added that in recent decade MDL became more "electronic". A proof of this is that the number of cards in circulation is almost 2 million, and the value and number of non – cash operations have tripled. The new governor's challenge will be to continue the digitisation of MDL and promote its use abroad, said Cioclea.

The first President of Moldova, Mircea Snegur, said that the introduction of the national currency 25 years ago is a crucial moment that has stimulated the reforms. In the opinion of Snegur, it has proved to be a stable currency that has credibility in the global arena, and this has stimulated export and foreign investment.

The event was also attended by the representative of the National Bank of Romania, Serban Matei. The official mentioned that MDL has evolved into a complex geopolitical and financial environment and has demonstrated that the sovereign interests are being achieved by the currency and the national economy. "From the beginning, Romania has all the support for Moldova. This supports the wider effort of bringing the two states closer together, demonstrating their attachment to common values ​​and symbols, and the currency is a powerful vector for spreading and propagating them," said Serban Matei.

Over a quarter of a century, the BNM issued a commemorative coin. This was presented by BNM deputy Governor, Ion Sturzu. The coin is made of nickel plated steel and brass, giving it a bimetallic look: silver and gold. On the obverse, the central part of the coin is divided into two parts, similar to the sun and moon, meaning the continuity of times, past, and present. On the inside of the coin, on the right is the figure of a lion. On the left side of the field, there are engraved the emblem of Moldova and logo of BNM. The exterior of the coin has the inscription "25 years from the introduction of the national currency".

On the reverse side, there are engraved issue 2018 and 10 lei nomination, surrounded by 25 stars representing the number of years since the introduction of the Moldovan leu. The coin carries a monogramme from letters R and M – the acronym of Republic of Moldova, engraved by holographic procedure.

The coin will run in parallel with the MDL 10 banknote, as well as the divisive coin of the same nominal value, introduced in February 2018 together with the metal coins of MDL 1, 2 and 5.

The national currency was put into circulation on 29 November 1993