Which currency was introduced in Romania in 1867?

The Romanian leu was introduced in Romania in 1867. Its name means “lion” in Romanian and is connected to the lion depicted on historical Dutch thaler coins that circulated in the region. The plural form is lei.

The leu became the monetary unit of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, shortly before the formation of modern Romania. It was divided into 100 bani, a subdivision that remains part of the currency system today. The National Bank of Romania issues the current leu.

Romania has experienced several monetary reforms and redenominations. On 1 July 2005, the country introduced the new leu, with 10,000 old lei equal to 1 new leu. The earlier currency is now called the old leu to distinguish it from the current unit.

The Romanian leu is unrelated to the Bulgarian lev despite both names meaning “lion.” They are separate currencies with distinct histories, issuers, and ISO codes.