5 Dollars

Zimbabwe's 2019 banknote series marked the country's third attempt in roughly a decade to establish a functional domestic currency. The "RTGS Dollar" — formally introduced in February 2019 after years of pretending that bond notes and electronic balances were equivalent to US dollars — was almost immediately under pressure, losing value against the USD within weeks of official launch. This note entered circulation in that environment.

The hybrid substrate, supplied by G+D, was a deliberate choice over pure polymer or pure cotton paper — offering durability gains without the full tooling costs of a polymer conversion. Zimbabwe's central bank had good reason to want longevity in its notes; low public confidence tends to concentrate wear on the pieces that do circulate.