Around the world, many countries have experimented with currency changes, with varying degrees of success. Economically, governments often take this step when monetary conditions deteriorate and inflation accelerates. Currency change has also been used to combat counterfeiting, terrorism financing, and tax evasion, since criminal groups are usually unable to exchange old currency through official channels. Once a currency is withdrawn, illicit cash loses its value. In other cases, currency change reflects the adoption of a new monetary standard, whether within a unified currency framework of an economic bloc or following separation from one. At times, currency change is primarily a political decision, signaling the start of a new era after major crises, wars, or political transitions, with the currency symbolising the beginning of a different phase.
