The monetary unit of the Republic of Zambia is the ngwe. 1 ngwe is equal to 100 Zambian kwacha. The issue of coins in Ngwe began in 1968. By January 1, 2013, 25 and 50 ngwee coins were legal tender, but due to inflation the coins were in circulation only nominally. On January 1, 2013, the denomination of the kwacha (1000:1) was carried out, and new coins were issued in denominations of 5, 10, 50 ngwe.