Banknotes of Zimbabwe

Banknotes of Zimbabwe
$100 trillion banknote of the third Zimbabwe dollar (2009).
ISO 4217 codes	ZWD, ZWN, ZWR, ZWL
Country	Zimbabwe
Issuers	Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (1980–2009) Standard Chartered (2003–2004)
First Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)
Denominations	$2 to $1 000 (banknotes) $5 000 to $100 000 (bearer cheques)
Second Zimbabwean dollar (ZWN)
Equivalent to	1 000 ZWD
Denominations	1¢ to $5×108 (bearer cheques) $5×109 to $1011(Agro cheques)
Third Zimbabwean dollar (ZWR)
Equivalent to	1010 ZWN, 1013 ZWD
Denominations	$1 to $1014
Fourth Zimbabwean dollar (ZWL)
Equivalent to	1012 ZWR, 1022 ZWN, 1025 ZWD
Denominations	$1 to $500

The paper money of Zimbabwe were physical forms of Zimbabwe's four incarnations of the dollar ($ or Z$) from 1980 to 2009. The banknotes of the first dollar replaced those of the Rhodesian dollar at par in 1980 following the proclamation of independence. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued most of the banknotes and other types of currency notes in its history, including the Bearer cheques and Agro cheques ("Agro" being short for Agricultural) that circulated between 15 September 2003 and 31 December 2008: the Standard Chartered Bank also issued their own emergency cheques from 2003 to 2004.

The Chiremba Balancing Rocks in Epworth, Harare is the main illustration on the obverse of regular banknotes of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe: for the emergency Bearer and Agro cheques, the rocks became part of the Reserve Bank's emblem that also appeared on the obverse. The reverse of dollar notes often illustrate the culture or landmarks of Zimbabwe.

The second dollar (ZWN) was replaced on 1 August 2008 by the third dollar (ZWR), which was then phased out by fourth dollar (ZWL) with short notice on 2 February 2009 because it rapidly lost value. The economic and trade sanctions imposed against the Zimbabwean government and the Reserve Bank made it difficult to incorporate modern security features on most banknotes issued since September 2008.

The Reserve Bank originally planned to demonetise banknotes of the third dollar on 30 June 2009 but the Zimbabwean dollar as a whole has been suspended since 12 April 2009, implying that banknotes of both the third and fourth dollar are not de jure legal tender.

The first banknotes of Zimbabwe were issued by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (formerly Reserve Bank of Rhodesia) for the first dollar (ZWD) in 1980 to coincide with the independence of Zimbabwe. These notes replaced the circulating banknotes of the Rhodesian Dollar at par. The first series of banknotes ranged from $2 to $20, and carried the signature of Dr. Desmond Krogh, then the last Governor of the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia from 1973. From 1994 to 1997 the Reserve Bank issued a new series of notes ranging from $2 to $100, although the $2 banknote was withdrawn and replaced by a coin in 1997. As rising inflation started to affect the purchasing power of the Zimbabwean Dollar, the $500 and $1 000 banknotes were issued from 2001 to 2005 with enhanced anti-counterfeiting measures.