Bank of Central African States
The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) is the common central bank and banknote-issuing authority of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Quick Facts
Country: Central African States
Currency: Central African CFA Franc
Local name: Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale
Institutional Identity
Known in French as the Banque des États de l’Afrique Centrale, BEAC conducts monetary policy, manages foreign-exchange reserves and issues the Central African CFA franc for the six members of the Central African Monetary Union. Its banknotes circulate throughout the shared issuing area rather than representing six separate national currencies.
Historical Evolution
BEAC was created on 22 November 1972 by Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo and Gabon. Equatorial Guinea joined the BEAC issuing area on 1 January 1985, bringing membership to six states. Successive banknote families have documented the transition from country-specific presentation towards a more visibly regional monetary identity.
Design Philosophy
BEAC banknotes trace the gradual visual integration of the union. Type 72 notes combined a common side with a country-specific side, while Type 82 issues adopted shared designs while retaining country identification. Type 2002 used identical designs with allocation markers for statistical identification. The Gamme 2020 strengthens the regional identity through common layouts, multilingual inscriptions and themes including agriculture, health, education and environmental protection.
For collectors
For collectors, denomination and date are only the starting point. Correct attribution also depends on the banknote family, country designation or allocation code, signature combination and catalogue variety. Because allocation markers change between series, a letter should never be treated as a permanent country code outside the series in which it appears.
