Basic Country Data:

• Country ISO Code: BE

• Official Language: French (most widely used for this report)

• Language ISO Code: fr

• Current Official Currency: Euro

• Current Currency ISO Code: EUR

1. Euro (EUR) — Current Official Currency

• ISO Code: EUR

• Singular Name: euro

• Plural Name: euros

• Monetary Subdivision: 1 euro = 100 cents

• Subdivision Name Singular: cent

• Subdivision Name Plural: cents

• Initial Production Date: 1999 (electronic money), 2002 (physical cash)

• Initial Circulation Date: 2002

• Final Production Date: ongoing

• Final Circulation Date: currently in circulation

• Mint: various European mints, including the Royal Belgian Mint (Brussels)

• Issuing Bank: European Central Bank (ECB)

• Coin Denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents; 1 and 2 euros

• Banknote Denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 euros (500-euro note no longer issued since 2019)

• Designs / Symbols:

  • Coins: common European side and national side with Belgian symbols (e.g., Belgian lion and national motto “L’union fait la force”).

  • Banknotes: European architectural motifs (bridges, doors, windows), no real persons depicted.

• Current Circulation Status: official currency, actively circulating since 2002

• Economic Historical Context:

  • Euro adopted in 1999 (scriptural money) and 2002 (physical currency), replacing the Belgian franc.

  • Integration into the European Economic and Monetary Union.

• Relevant Monetary Legislation: European treaties, ECB regulations

• Issuing Authority: European Central Bank

• Signatories on Banknotes: President and Vice-President of the ECB

• Persons or Symbols Honored: Belgian national and cultural symbols, no real persons

• Curiosities: The Royal Belgian Mint continues to issue commemorative euro coins.

2. Belgian Franc (BEF) — Historical Currency (1832–2002)

• ISO Code: BEF

• Singular Name: franc

• Plural Name: francs

• Monetary Subdivision: 1 franc = 100 centimes

• Subdivision Name Singular: centime

• Subdivision Name Plural: centimes

• Initial Production Date: 1832 (two years after Belgian independence)

• Final Production Date: 2002

• Initial Circulation Date: 1832

• Final Circulation Date: 2002 (transition period until 2004)

• Mint: Royal Belgian Mint (Brussels) and other European mints

• Issuing Bank: National Bank of Belgium (founded 1850)

• Coin Denominations: copper, silver, and sometimes gold coins ranging from 1 centime to 5 francs and higher

• Banknote Denominations: 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 francs and other denominations

• Designs / Symbols:

  • Coins: portraits of kings (Leopold I, Leopold II, Albert I), Belgian lion, national motto “L’union fait la force”.

  • Banknotes: portraits of Belgian personalities, historical and cultural motifs.

• Economic Historical Context:

  • Introduced to unify currency after independence, modeled on the French system (gold/silver bimetallism).

  • Member of the Latin Monetary Union (1865–1926) linking several European currencies.

  • Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union (1921–2002) with 1:1 parity between Belgian and Luxembourg francs.

  • Convertibility suspended during World Wars.

  • Successive devaluations and stabilizations in the 20th century.

• Curiosities:

  • First currency in the world to mint cupronickel coins (1860).

  • Bilingual French-Dutch banknotes from late 19th century.

  • Commemorative gold and silver coins issued on various occasions.

• Current Circulation Status: out of circulation since 2002, but exchangeable indefinitely at the National Bank of Belgium.

• Issuing Authority: National Bank of Belgium

• Signatories on Banknotes: Governors of the National Bank

• Persons Honored: Belgian kings, cultural and historical personalities

3. Pre-Independence Currencies

• Various foreign currencies circulated before 1830: French francs, Dutch florins, coins from the former Austrian Netherlands, coins from the Principality of Liège.

This report presents the complete monetary history of Belgium, highlighting the Belgian franc’s long period of use, its features, and the adoption and current use of the euro as the official currency since 2002.