The heavy leu — the day Romania cut four zeros
In 2005, 10,000 old lei became 1 new leu. What a denomination is, why it's done, and what it teaches us about numbers and trust.
After the 1990s, with high inflation, prices in Romania were written with many zeros — a salary could be millions of lei. In 2005, the state carried out a denomination: it cut four zeros. 10,000 old lei (ROL) became 1 new leu (RON).
You got neither richer nor poorer
Important: a denomination does not change real value. If you had 10,000,000 old lei, you got 1,000 new lei — the same purchasing power, just smaller, easier numbers. It's like changing the unit of measure, not the amount.
Why the numbers matter
Huge numbers are awkward and intimidating. That's why KOSR uses 2 decimals, like today's leu — clear, easy-to-read amounts. In Kosron Bank you instantly see what a balance, an installment or an interest means, without getting lost in zeros.
