The Eritrean Nakfa ((ERN) is the currency of Eritrea. The currency is not frequently used, and all transactions are carried out using the US dollars. The Eritrean nakfa is issued and controlled by the Central Bank of Eritrea (CBE) (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ደቡብ መንገድ ቤተ ክርስቲያን). The Nakfa is not a hard currency, and there are no restrictions on its export.
Eritrea banknotes are part of the Eritrean Nafka series. The Elephant series were first issued in 1996 and are still in circulation. They consist of denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 100 and 200 Nafka.Eritrea (ERN) is one of the top 10 countries in terms of gold mining. The mining sector in Eritrea contributed to 12% of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP, in 2013. Gold mining is the third most important economic activity in Eritrea after agriculture and livestock. Being the tenth largest producer of gold in the world, Eritrea has the potential to increase its gold production to about 200 tonnes.