When Belgium was young it was not easy to choose a national currency unit; there were both economic and political reasons for adopting the "the franc" following the French example.
The convertibility of the banknote was suspended at the start of World War I.
The decision to replace the old pre-war coins with cupronickel and silver coins – the last ones to be issued in Belgium – was taken in 1948.
Highlights in the history of the Belgian franc
A brief history of Belgian banknotes and coins
The history of the Belgian franc extended over 170 years. The national currency unit was created by a law passed in 1832, two years after independence. Much of that history was also actually written by the National Bank, which has been printing Belgian banknotes since 1850 and became the "guardian of the currency" from the date of its establishment.
Below you will find a summary of the history and the key dates in the history of the Belgian franc.