Malawi’s New 5,000 Kwacha – Advanced Security for the Warm Heart of Africa

In their mandate to help maintain economic stability and confidence in the currency, central banks must continually evaluate the cash cycle imperatives and pressures for business and community in their countries.

The existing Malawi 2,000 kwacha banknote (previously the country’s highest denomination) was introduced in December 2016 to address Malawi’s increasingly demanding cash cycle needs. It was further upgraded in February to enhance its security and improve the appearance of the note. But as the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) currency management policy requires that the highest value denomination should not account for more than 60% of the total value of the currency in circulation, it went a step further in February and also issued a new high denomination 5,000 kwacha banknote.