National Bank governor Anca Dragu has confirmed that the central bank is considering a redesign of Moldovan leu banknotes, with a series of consultations to follow.

“I’d rather not reveal any details yet, we’ll leave it for another time. But yes, this year we’ll look at the design of the Moldovan leu banknotes”, Anca Dragu told TV8.

Asked if the redesign will also involve a change of the banknote composition, the governor said this would be a later phase. “But it will be a very nice project, you will see, a participatory project to decide how the banknotes should look”, added Anca Dragu.

The Moldovan leu was introduced on 29 November 1993. Made of a special blend of paper, the leu was designed by plastic artist Gheorghe Vrabie, who is also the creator of the national coat of arms. The banknotes depict the medieval ruler Ștefan cel Mare of Moldavia and a number of national landmarks. The idea of a design facelift and blend change is not new. This was also discussed six years ago, but no action followed.