Burundi - 1,000 Francs - P-51 - 2015 dated Foreign Paper Money

1,000 Francs, P-51. Polymer with great color! Front and back shown.

The franc (ISO 4217 code is BIF) is the currency of Burundi. It is nominally subdivided into 100 centimes, although coins have never been issued in centimes since Burundi began issuing its own currency. Only during the period when Burundi used the Belgian Congo franc were centime coins issued.

The franc became the currency of Burundi in 1916, when Belgium occupied the former German colony and replaced the German East African rupie with the Belgian Congo franc. Burundi used the currency of Belgian Congo until 1960, when the Rwanda and Burundi franc was introduced. Burundi began issuing its own francs in 1964.

There were plans to introduce a common currency, a new East African shilling, for the five member states of the East African Community by the end of 2015. As of September 2022, these plans have not yet materialized.