BCEAO details methods to authenticate 5,000 CFA franc banknotes

The BCEAO advises using the TRI method Touch - Look - Tilt to check banknotes. By touch, users should feel raised printing on the BCEAO logo, adjacent friezes, and face value indications. Authentic paper also has a firm texture and a crisp sound.

When looking through the banknote against light, three key elements confirm authenticity: the number in the upper left, where front and back parts align perfectly to form the value; the security thread, a vertical black line showing the face value 5,000 and UMOA in small characters; and the watermark on the left, displaying the sawfish motif and the banknote's value in shades of gray. Tilting the banknote reveals a bicolored yellow and gray iridescent band on the reverse, showing its face value. The 5,000 CFA franc note also features a discontinuous diffractive and holographic motif, which, when tilted, alternately displays the sawfish and the face value with rainbow colors.

The BCEAO warns against unvalidated authentication methods circulating on social media, which could lead to accepting counterfeit notes or wrongly rejecting genuine ones. The central bank directs the public to its official channels, particularly the "Banknotes and Coins" section of its website, for reliable information and reserves the right to prosecute those who undermine confidence i