Yemen: Chocolate Replaces Low-Value Banknote in Yemen

Yemeni Riyal’s value plummeted by 300%, hitting a new exchange rate of 800 Riyal per US dollar in Yemen’s temporary capital of Aden. The devaluation was spurred by the government’s decision to halt printing low-value banknotes from 10 to 100 Riyals along with a decision to damage old banknotes. Therefore, merchants and taxi drivers were coerced into replacing these banknotes with chocolate pieces of the same value. In buses and markets, chocolate can be seen as a new way to pay low amounts of money