Once part of everyday transactions, Azerbaijan’s 5-qapik coins are quietly disappearing from circulation. Shopkeepers, market vendors, and even bus drivers increasingly refuse to accept them – or react with visible irritation when they do.
Residents say the small copper-colored coins have become “unwelcome money.” Many avoid using them altogether, assuming they will be rejected.
Yet under Azerbaijani law, the 5-qapik coin remains a legal means of payment across the country.
Consumer rights advocate Eyub Huseynov, head of the Free Consumers Union, told Report that refusal to accept any official currency is a violation of consumer rights.
“All Azerbaijani money, regardless of denomination, must be accepted everywhere,” he said. “No one has the right to reject it. Unfortunately, the legislation still contains gaps on this issue, but refusal itself is a clear violation of consumer rights.”
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan stated that the future of small coins depends on citizens’ payment habits, overall economic conditions, and the level of inflation.
“The national currency of Azerbaijan – the manat – and its subdivisions play an important role in the country’s monetary circulation,” the Bank’s press service said. “Low-denomination metal coins remain in retail use, and maintaining them in circulation continues to be economically and socially justified.”
The regulator confirmed that there are no plans to withdraw 1-, 3-, or 5-qapik coins from circulation in the near future.
