Zimbabwe had started circulating a $5 (about R66) 'bond note', the central bank said on Friday, as President Robert Mugabe's government struggles with a cash crunch that has forced people to spend hours queueing at banks.
The country introduced a $2 note and $1 coin in November to ease the cash shortages. Despite warnings that it could eventually cause hyperinflation, the bond note is still trading at par with the US dollar.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya said $15-million of the new, purple notes had been released to banks, bringing the total amount of bond notes in circulation to $88-million.
Zimbabwe abandoned its own hyperinflation-hit currency in 2009, but a widening trade deficit, lack of foreign investment and a decline in remittances from abroad have led to foreign currency shortages.
Some banks have drastically cut online purchases and cash withdrawals for foreign travellers from $1,000 a day to as little as $50.
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