The Common Monetary Area (CMA) links South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini into a monetary union. It is allied to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The main purpose of this trade is that all of the parties can have the same development and equitable economic advance so they can be treated as a whole. Although the South African rand is legal tender in all states, the other member states issue their own currencies: the Lesotho loti, Namibian dollar and Swazi lilangeni. However, these are exchanged at par with the rand and there is no immediate prospect of change. Foreign exchange regulations and monetary policy throughout the CMA continue to reflect the influence of the South African Reserve Bank. Of the SACU members, only Botswana is currently out of the CMA, having replaced the rand with the pula in 1976. Botswana wanted to implement its own monetary policy and to adjust the exchange rate in case of any future problem in the economy that will affect their economy as well. History The CMA, enacted in July 1986, originated from the Rand Monetary Area (RMA), which was formally established in December 1974; the signatories of the latter were South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. In that year Swaziland and Lesotho established their own national currencies, now called the lilageni and the loti, respectively. In 1980 Lesotho established its own central bank and began issuing its national currency at a one to one rate to the rand. While the formal arrangements date back to 1974, they ultimately stem from informal arrangements spanning back to prior to the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 and when the South African Reserve Bank was formed in 1921, the South African pound became the sole circulating legal tender in the territories that today form the CMA alongside Bechuanaland (now Botswana). This arrangement continued when the South African pound was replaced by the South African rand in 1961. The lack of monetary policy discretion, a formal framework for consultation and sharing of seigniorage by South Africa for the smaller territories led to protracted negotiations which ultimately resulted in the formal 1974 agreement, however Botswana decided against joining the formalized arrangements and pursued an independent currency with its own central bank. In 1989 the CMA changed its exchange restrictions because of some limitations in the conversion of balances consequence of the termination of the agreement of