The Madagascar currency is called the Malagasy ariary. The country’s currency used to be the Malagasy franc, but it was officially replaced by the ariary in 2005. Madagascar is the only country that uses the ariary for its currency.
The Malagasy ariary’s ISO code is MGA. Its abbreviation is Ar.
Each airary consists of five iraimbilanja, which are the equivalent of cents in many western currencies.
There are a number of airary notes and coins in circulation. Notes come in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10,000. Coins come in denominations of 1 and 2 iraimbilanja, and 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, and 50 ariary.
When you are visiting Madagascar, you can get currency at ATMs or foreign exchange desks in the Antananarivo airport and other places in the country. Make sure to have cash on you at all times, as many places in Madagascar do not accept credit cards. Small change is good to carry, as often people will not have change for large bills.
