500 Francs

The Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale — the BEAC — issues notes on behalf of six member states, each receiving a common design differentiated only by code letter and national title. Cameroon draws the letter D. The shared monetary union traces its roots to the CFA franc zone established under French colonial administration, and the post-independence BEAC reconstituted in 1972 retained both the currency peg to the French franc and Oberthur as its primary printer.

The 1994 CFA devaluation — a 50% cut against the French franc — hit this denomination hard, halving its real purchasing power overnight. Notes of this series were already being phased toward the 1990s redesign by the time that shock landed.