Lesotho loti
Currency of Lesotho
title: "Lesotho loti" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["currencies-of-africa", "circulating-currencies", "fixed-exchange-rate", "currencies-introduced-in-1966", "currencies-introduced-in-1980", "economy-of-lesotho"] description: "Currency of Lesotho" topic_path: "general/currencies-of-africa" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_loti" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Currency of Lesotho ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox currency"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image_1 | Lesotho 200 maloti averse 2015.jpg |
| image_title_1 | 200 maloti |
| iso_code | LSL |
| iso_comment | before 1985: |
| using_countries | Lesotho (alongside South African rand) |
| inflation_rate | 6.8% |
| inflation_source_date | Central Bank of Lesotho, August 2006 |
| inflation_method | CPI |
| pegged_with | South African rand at par |
| subunit_ratio_1 | |
| subunit_name_1 | sente |
| symbol | L |
| symbol_comment | or M (pl.) |
| unit | loti |
| plural | maloti |
| plural_subunit_1 | lisente |
| used_coins | 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 lisente, L1, M2, M5 |
| used_banknotes | M10, M20, M50, M100, M200 |
| issuing_authority | Central Bank of Lesotho |
| issuing_authority_website | |
| :: |
| image_1 = Lesotho 200 maloti averse 2015.jpg | image_title_1 = 200 maloti | iso_code = LSL | iso_comment=before 1985: | using_countries = Lesotho (alongside South African rand) | inflation_rate = 6.8% | inflation_source_date = Central Bank of Lesotho, August 2006 | inflation_method = CPI | pegged_with = South African rand at par | subunit_ratio_1 = | subunit_name_1 = sente | symbol = L | symbol_comment = or M (pl.) | unit = loti | plural = maloti | plural_subunit_1 = lisente | used_coins = 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 lisente, L1, M2, M5 | used_banknotes = M10, M20, M50, M100, M200 | issuing_authority = Central Bank of Lesotho | issuing_authority_website =
The loti (plural: maloti) is the currency of the Kingdom of Lesotho. It is subdivided into 100 sente (pl. lisente). It is pegged to the South African rand on a 1:1 basis through the Common Monetary Area, and both are accepted as legal tender within Lesotho. The loti was first issued in 1966, albeit as a non-circulating currency. In 1980, Lesotho issued its first coins denominated in both loti and lisente (dated 1979) to replace the South African rand, but the rand remains legal tender.
The name derives from the Sesotho loti, "mountain," while sente is from English "cent".
In 1985, the ISO 4217 code was changed from into .
Coins
In 1980, coins dated 1979 were introduced in denominations of 1 sente, 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 lisente and 1 loti. In 1996, 2 and 5 maloti coins were introduced, followed by 20 lisente in 1998.
Coins in circulation are:
- 5 lisente
- 10 lisente
- 20 lisente
- 50 lisente
- 1 loti
- 2 maloti
- 5 maloti
Banknotes
In January 1980, banknotes dated 1979 (the last two digits of the year of issue are the serial number prefix denominator) were introduced in denominations of 2, 5 and 10 maloti. 20 and 50 maloti notes were added in 1981, followed by 100 and 200 maloti in 1994.
On 1 March 2011, at a celebration marking its 30th anniversary, the Central Bank of Lesotho launched a new series of banknotes dated 2010 aimed at fighting the spread of counterfeits. The notes feature a portrait of the three royal family members: the current king, His Majesty Letsie III, is in the middle, his father King Moshoeshoe II is on the left, and the founder of the Basotho nation, King Moshoeshoe I, on the right.
In 2021, the Central Bank of Lesotho issued a new series of loti banknotes that are similar to the 2010 series, but the note's size is reduced to incorporate updated security features, including tactile features for those with visual impairments and giving the notes an anti-bacterial and anti-viral varnish to protect the notes from surface soiling and preventing viral disease on the notes.
::data[format=table]
| 2011 Series http://banknotenews.com/files/bcca2fea8185d45ca1b7138d62a05f02-1354.php | Value | Dimensions | Main Color | Description | Date of issue | Date of first issue | Watermark | Obverse | Reverse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 maloti | 132 x 70 mm | Red | Mokorotlo hat registration device; King Moshoeshoe II, King Letsie III, and King Moshoeshoe I; Lesotho coat of arms | Cosmos flowers (Cosmos bipinnatus) | 2010 | March 1, 2011 | Lesotho coat of arms and electrotype 10 | ||
| 20 maloti | 139 x 70 mm | Blue | Basotho huts (mokhoro) | Lesotho coat of arms and electrotype 20 | |||||
| 50 maloti | 146 x 70 mm | Purple | Men on horseback | Lesotho coat of arms and electrotype 50 | |||||
| 100 maloti | 153 x 70 mm | Green | Shepherd with flock | Lesotho coat of arms and electrotype 100 | |||||
| 200 maloti | 160 x 70 mm | Orange | Man on horse | 2015 | April 1, 2016 | King Moshoeshoe I in top hat, electrotype 200 capped with Basotho hat, and Cornerstones | |||
| :: |
References
References
- "Definition of SENTE".
- "Definition of LOTI".
- (2012). "The Banknote Book". www.BanknoteNews.com.
- [http://banknotenews.com/files/bcca2fea8185d45ca1b7138d62a05f02-1354.php Lesotho to issue new notes in March 2011] BanknoteNews.com. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
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