Singapore dollar

Marine series 1967

In 1967, the first series of coins was introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 dollar. These coins depicted wildlife and other images relating to the island nation and were designed by Stuart Devlin, the same artist credited for the 1966 designs on Australia's decimal coin series. The sizes were the same as those used for the Malaysian ringgit and based directly on the old coinage of the former Malaya and British Borneo dollar. The 1-cent coin was bronze while the other denominations were copper-nickel. Later, in 1976, the 1-cent coin was changed to copper-clad steel. The production of the first series was phased out by 1985.

Floral series 1985

In 1985, the second series of coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 dollar. The reverse of these coins were designed by Christopher Ironside. The new series offered smaller coins depicting a floral theme. One-dollar banknotes were discontinued and gradually replaced with an aluminium-bronze coin. The 5-cent coin was also changed to aluminum-bronze while the 10, 20, and 50 cents remained copper-nickel. Limited numbers of commemorative bimetallic 5-dollar coins with scalloped edges were also periodically issued later during this series. This series is still in circulation. The 1 cent coin was taken out of circulation in 2002.

Iconic series (2013)

On 21 February 2013, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced a new series of coins in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 cents and 1 dollar, which went into circulation on 25 June 2013, featuring Singapore's national icons and landmarks. The coins are struck on a multi-ply plated-steel planchet used by the Royal Canadian Mint and comes with enhanced features to differentiate from fakes. The coins also feature new designs, the one-dollar, now a bi-metallic coin featuring the Merlion, the fifty cents coin featuring the Port of Singapore, the twenty-cent coin depicts Changi International Airport, the ten-cent coin featuring public housing and the five-cent coin featuring the Esplanade.^[18] The second and third series of Singaporean coins have medallic orientation.

Orchid series 1967

The Orchid Series of currency notes is the earliest to be in for circulation in Singapore. Issued in the years 1967 to 1976, it has nine denominations: $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, and $10,000.

Each note has an orchid design in the centre of the note's front, the orchid being the national flower of Singapore. A scene of Singapore is depicted on the back, which varies across denominations. Standard on each note, is the Coat of Arms, a lion head watermark, and the signature of the Minister for Finance and chairman of the BCCS, on the front of the note. As an added security feature, all notes have at least one vertically embedded security thread, while the $10,000 note has two.

More information 1st Series – Orchid Series (1967–1976), Image ...

1st Series – Orchid Series (1967–1976)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of issue	Issue suspended	Date of withdrawal	Printer
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark
		$1	121 mm × 64 mm	Dark blue	Vanda Janet Kaneali	Blocks of flats in a housing estate	Lion's head	12 June 1967	6 August 1976	Limited	BWC
		$5	127 mm × 71 mm	Green	Vanda T.M.A.	A busy scene on the Singapore River
		$10	133 mm × 79 mm	Red	Dendrobium Marjorie Ho "Tony Pek"	4 clasped hands on a background of a map of Singapore					TDLR
		$25	140 mm × 79 mm	Brown	Renanthopsis Aurora	Supreme Court Building		7 August 1972	6 August 1979
		$50	146 mm × 87 mm	Blue	Vanda Rothscildiana "Teo Choo Hong"	Clifford Pier		12 June 1967	6 August 1976
		$100	159 mm × 95 mm	Mid-blue and mauve	Cattleya	A peaceful scene along the Singapore Waterfront			1 February 1977		BWC
		$500	160 mm × 96 mm	Green	Dendrobium Shangri-La	Government Office at Saint Andrew's Road		7 August 1972			TDLR
		$1,000	159 mm × 95 mm	Mauve and dark grey	Dendrobium Kimiyo Kondo "Chay"	Victoria Theatre & Empress Place		12 June 1967	7 August 1978
		$10,000	203 mm × 133 mm	Green	Aranda Majulah	The Istana		29 January 1973	1 February 1980
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

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Bird series 1976

The Bird Series of currency notes is the second set of notes to be issued for circulation in Singapore. Issued in the years 1976 to 1984, it has nine denominations, the same number as in the Orchid Series, albeit the $25 note was replaced by the $20 note.

Each note features a bird on the left side of the note's front, a theme selected to represent a young Singapore "ever ready to take flight to greater heights". Standard on each note, is the Coat of Arms, a lion head watermark, and the signature of the Minister for Finance and chairman of the BCCS, on the front of the note. As an added security feature, all notes have a vertically embedded security thread, while the $1,000 and $10,000 notes have two.

More information 2nd Series – Bird Series (1976–1984), Image ...

2nd Series – Bird Series (1976–1984)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of issue	Issue suspended	Date of withdrawal
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark
		$1	125 mm × 63 mm	Blue	Black-naped Tern	National Day Parade	Lion's head	6 August 1976	12 January 1987	Limited
		$5	133 mm × 66 mm	Green	Red-whiskered Bulbul	Cable cars and aerial view of the harbour			21 August 1989
		$10	141 mm × 69 mm	Red	White-collared Kingfisher	Garden city with high rise public housing in background			1 March 1988
		$20	149 mm × 72 mm	Brown	Yellow-breasted Sunbird	Singapore Changi International Airport with the Concorde in the foreground		6 August 1979	1 January 1991
		$50	157 mm × 75 mm	Blue	White-rumped Shama	School band on parade		6 August 1976	9 March 1987
		$100	165 mm × 78 mm	Blue	Blue-throated Bee-eater	Dancers of various ethnic groups		1 February 1977	1 August 1985
		$500	181 mm × 84 mm	Green	Black-naped Oriole	Oil Refinery			1 March 1988
		$1,000	197 mm × 90 mm	Purple	Brahminy Kite	Container terminal		7 August 1978	22 October 1984
		$10,000	203 mm × 133 mm	Green	White-bellied sea-eagle	2 scenes of the Singapore River		1 February 1980	21 August 1989
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

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Ship series (1984–1991)

The Ship Series of currency notes is the third set of notes to be issued for circulation in Singapore. Issued in the years 1984 to 1999, it retains the number of denominations as was in the previous two series of notes, but switches the $20 note for the $2 one.

A maritime theme to reflect Singapore's maritime heritage was adopted, and progressively shows across the various denominations, the different kinds of ships which have plied Singapore's waters as the country developed. These vignettes are located on the front of the note. On the back, various scenes depicting Singapore's achievements are shown, as well as an orchid, to symbolise the country's national flower.

Standard on each note, is the Coat of Arms, a lion head watermark, and the signature of the Minister for Finance and chairman of the BCCS, on the front of the note. As an added security feature, all notes have a vertically embedded security thread.

Portrait series (1999)

The current Portrait series was introduced in 1999, with the one- and 500-dollar denominations omitted. These notes feature the face of Yusof bin Ishak, the first president of the Republic of Singapore, on the obverse, and the reverse depicts a feature of civic virtue. There are both paper and polymer notes in circulation. The designs of the polymer notes are very similar to the corresponding paper note except for the slightly slippery feel and a small transparent window design in the corner of the banknote. Polymer notes are progressively replacing the paper banknotes in circulation. The notes also have Braille patterns at the top right-hand corner of the front design.

More information Fourth series – Portrait series(1999–present), Image ...

Fourth series – Portrait series (1999–present)
Image		Value	Dimensions (mm)	Substrate	Main colour		Description		Issued from	Issue suspended
Obverse	Reverse						Obverse	Reverse
		$2	126 × 63	Paper		Violet	Yusof bin Ishak; Money cowrie	Education	9 September 1999	12 January 2006
				Polymer					12 January 2006	Current
		$5	133 × 66	Paper		Green	Yusof bin Ishak; Gold ring cowrie	Garden City	9 September 1999	18 May 2007
				Polymer					18 May 2007	Current
		$10	141 × 69	Paper		Red	Yusof bin Ishak; Wandering cowrie	Sports	9 September 1999	4 May 2004
				Polymer					4 May 2004	Current
		$50	156 × 74	Paper		Blue	Yusof bin Ishak; Cylindrical cowrie	Arts	9 September 1999
		$100	162 × 77			Orange	Yusof bin Ishak; Swallow cowrie	Youth
		$1,000	170 × 83			Purple	Yusof bin Ishak; Beautiful cowrie	Government		1 January 2021
		$10,000	180 × 90			Brown	Yusof bin Ishak; Onyx cowrie	Economics		1 October 2014
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

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The S$10,000 and B$10,000 note are the world's most valuable banknotes (that are officially in circulation).^[19] As of August 2011, it is worth over seven times as much as the next most valuable, the 1,000-Swiss franc note. On 2 July 2014, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that it would stop printing $10,000 notes starting from 1 October 2014 to reduce the risk of money laundering, with all banks instructed to exchange the notes with MAS and not recirculate them.^[20] This is a trend in many countries like European Central Bank's discontinuation of the 500-euro banknote in 2016 and AMBD's announcement to stop the production and issuance of the B$10,000 (the largest banknote) in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.^[21] MAS would also stop producing the S$1,000 banknote as well from 1 January 2021 onwards, but banks would be allowed to recirculate existing notes with customers.^[22] The MAS said that the higher denomination notes (beyond $100) will continue to remain legal tender.^[23][22]

Commemorative banknotes

Commemorative banknotes are also released, usually in limited quantities. The first commemorative banknote was released on 24 July 1990 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Singapore's independence. Of the 5.1 million $50 polymer banknotes issued, 300,000 came with an overprint of the anniversary date "9 August 1990". This $50 note was the first commemorative note issued by the BCCS and was also the first polymer banknote in the history of Singapore's currency. In addition, the $50 note was the first note designed in Singapore by a Singapore artist.

On 8 December 1999, to celebrate the coming 2000 millennium, three million $2 millennium notes were circulated. The note is similar to the $2 portrait series, except that the prefix of the serial number is replaced with a Millennium 2000 logo. These millennium notes are printed on paper as polymer notes had not yet been introduced at the time.

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• Singapore and Brunei issue joint banknote

On 27 June 2007, to commemorate 40 years of currency agreement with Brunei, a commemorative S$20 note was launched; the back is identical to the Bruneian $20 note launched simultaneously.^[24] A circulation version of the $20 note can be exchanged at banks in Singapore beginning 16 July 2007, limited to two pieces per transaction.

On 18 August 2015, to commemorate Singapore's 50 years of nation-building, the Monetary Authority of Singapore launched a set of six commemorative notes. These commemorative notes comprise five S$10 polymer notes and a S$50 note. The note design's draw inspiration from significant milestones and achievements in Singapore's history, the multiracialism that defines the nation and the values and aspirations that underpin Singapore's progress. The front of both the $50 and $10 notes feature a portrait of Yusof Ishak, Singapore's first president, as in the current Portrait series notes.^[25] The $50 note highlights Singapore's history, transformation and future. It shows the late Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, shouting "Merdeka!"—the rallying cry of Singapore's independence struggle. The note makes distinctive use of the colour gold, reflecting Singapore's Golden Jubilee. The five $10 notes have a common front design and varying back designs depicting the theme 'Vibrant Nation, Endearing Home'. Each note reflects a value or aspiration that defines the theme: 'Caring Community, Active Citizenry', 'Opportunities for All', 'Safe and Secure', 'Strong Families' and '...regardless of race, language or religion...'.^[25]

In 2017, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its Currency Interchangeability Agreement between Brunei and Singapore, both the Monetary Authority of Brunei Darussalam and the Monetary Authority of Singapore issued $50 polymer banknotes to commemorate that event.^[3]

On 5 June 2019, a $20 note commemorating the Singapore Bicentennial was issued.^[26]

Current exchange rates

More information Currency, ISO 4217 code ...

Most traded currencies by value
Currency distribution of global foreign exchange market turnover^[34]

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Currency	ISO 4217 code	Proportion of daily volume		Change (2022–2025)
		April 2022	April 2025
U.S. dollar	USD	88.4%	89.2%	0.8pp
Euro	EUR	30.6%	28.9%	1.7pp
Japanese yen	JPY	16.7%	16.8%	0.1pp
Pound sterling	GBP	12.9%	10.2%	2.7pp
Renminbi	CNY	7.0%	8.5%	1.5pp
Swiss franc	CHF	5.2%	6.4%	1.2pp
Australian dollar	AUD	6.4%	6.1%	0.3pp
Canadian dollar	CAD	6.2%	5.8%	0.4pp
Hong Kong dollar	HKD	2.6%	3.8%	1.2pp
Singapore dollar	SGD	2.4%	2.4%
Indian rupee	INR	1.6%	1.9%	0.3pp
South Korean won	KRW	1.8%	1.8%
Swedish krona	SEK	2.2%	1.6%	0.6pp
Mexican peso	MXN	1.5%	1.6%	0.1pp
New Zealand dollar	NZD	1.7%	1.5%	0.2pp
Norwegian krone	NOK	1.7%	1.3%	0.4pp
New Taiwan dollar	TWD	1.1%	1.2%	0.1pp
Brazilian real	BRL	0.9%	0.9%
South African rand	ZAR	1.0%	0.8%	0.2pp
Polish złoty	PLN	0.7%	0.8%	0.1pp
Danish krone	DKK	0.7%	0.7%
Indonesian rupiah	IDR	0.4%	0.7%	0.3pp
Turkish lira	TRY	0.4%	0.5%	0.1pp
Thai baht	THB	0.4%	0.5%	0.1pp
Israeli new shekel	ILS	0.4%	0.4%
Hungarian forint	HUF	0.3%	0.4%	0.1pp
Czech koruna	CZK	0.4%	0.4%
Chilean peso	CLP	0.3%	0.3%
Philippine peso	PHP	0.2%	0.2%
Colombian peso	COP	0.2%	0.2%
Malaysian ringgit	MYR	0.2%	0.2%
UAE dirham	AED	0.4%	0.1%	0.3pp
Saudi riyal	SAR	0.2%	0.1%	0.1pp
Romanian leu	RON	0.1%	0.1%
Peruvian sol	PEN	0.1%	0.1%
Other currencies		2.6%	3.4%	0.8pp
Total[a]		200.0%	200.0%

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Exchange rates charts