Bahraini dinar
| Bahraini dinar | |
|---|---|
| دينار بحريني (Arabic) | |
| ISO 4217 code | BHD |
| Monetary authority | Central Bank of Bahrain |
| Website | www |
| User(s) |  Bahrain |
| Inflation | 7% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2008 est. |
| Pegged with | U.S. dollar = BD 0.376 |
| Subunit | |
| 1/1000 | fils |
| Symbol | .د.ب (Arabic) or BD (Latin) |
| Coins | 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, BD ½ ( 500 fils ) |
| Banknotes | BD ½, BD 1, BD 5, BD 10, BD 20 |
The dinar (Arabic: دينار Dīnār Baḥrainī) (sign: .د.ب or BD; code: BHD) is the currency of Bahrain. It is divided into 1000 fils (فلس). The name dinar derives from the Roman denarius. The dinar was introduced in 1965, replacing the Gulf rupee at a rate of 10 rupees = 1 dinar. The Bahraini dinar is abbreviated .د.ب (Arabic) or BD (Latin). It is usually represented with three decimal places denoting the fils.
Coins
In 1965, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 fils. The 1, 5 and 10 fils were struck in bronze, with the others in cupro-nickel. The 1 fils coin was not produced after 1966 and no longer circulates. In 1992, brass replaced bronze in the 5 and 10 fils and a bimetallic 100 fils coin was introduced. A bimetallic 500 fils followed in 2000.
Note that the Central Bank of Bahrain discontinued the Bimetallic 500 fils after the revolution of Bahrain on 14 Feb 2011. In addition to this discontinuation, the pearl roundabout was destroyed as it was the place where the protesters demonstrated.
| Coins of the Bahraini dinar | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Diameter | Weight | Composition | Obverse | Reverse | First Minted Year |
| 1 fils | ?? mm | ?? g | Bronze | Palm tree | Value | 1965 | |
| 5 fils | 18 mm | ?? g | Bronze | Palm tree | Value | 1965 | |
 |
10 fils | 24 mm | ?? g | Bronze | Palm tree | Value | 1965 |
 |
25 fils | ?? mm | ?? g | Cupro-nickel | Palm tree | Value | 1965 |
 |
50 fils | 20 mm | ?? g | Cupro-nickel | Palm tree | Value | 1965 |
 |
100 fils | 25 mm | ?? g | Cupro-nickel | Palm tree | Value | 1965 |
| 5 fils | 19 mm | 2,50 g | Brass | Palm tree | Value | 1992 | |
| 10 fils | 21 mm | 3.35 g | Brass | Palm tree | Value | 1992 | |
 |
25 fils | 20 mm | 2,35 g | Cupro-nickel | Dilmo Civilization seal | Value | 1992 |
 |
50 fils | 22 mm | 3.5 g | Cupro-nickel | Boat (Dhow) | Value | 1992 |
| 100 fils | 24 mm | 6 g | Brass ring, cupro-nickel centre | Coat of Arms | Value | 1992 | |
For a wider history surrounding currency in the region, see The History of British Currency in the Middle East.
Banknotes
On October 16, 1965, the Bahrain Currency Board introduced notes in denominations of ¼, ½, 1, 5 and 10 dinars; a 100-fils note was introduced on September 2, 1967.[1] In 1973, the Bahrain Monetary Agency took over the issuance of paper money, and in 1979 it introduced a new family of notes dated 1973 in Arabic, with denominations of ½, 1, 5, 10 and 20 dinars. On September 7, 2006,[2] the Bahrain Monetary Agency was renamed the Central Bank of Bahrain. On March 17, 2008, the Central Bank of Bahrain introduced a new family of notes reflecting Bahrain's heritage as well as its modern development. Saudi riyals are also acceptable in Bahrain, with the exception of the Saudi 500 riyal note which is only accepted in major supermarkets, airports and electronic shops.
| 4th series (154mm x 74mm) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Main Colour | Front Side | Back Side | |
| ½ Dinar | Brown/Peach | Old Bahrain Court | Bahrain International Circuit | ||
| 1 Dinar | Red | Al Hedya Al Khalifiya School (Bahrain first school) | Galloping Arabian Horses and the Sail and Pearl monument | ||
| 5 Dinars | Blue | Shaikh Isa House in Muharraq and Riffa Fort | First oil well in Bahrain and Aluminum Bahrain (Alba) | ||
| 10 Dinars | Green | Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah (Bahrain King) | Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Causeway | ||
| 20 Dinars | Brown/light blue | Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah (Bahrain King) | Al Fateh Islamic Center | ||
Fixed exchange rate
In December 1980, the dinar was officially pegged to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs). In practice, it is fixed at 1 U.S. dollar = BD .376, which translates to approximately 1 dinar = 2.65957 dollars[3] and, consequently, almost 10 Saudi Arabian riyals. This rate was made official in 2001. Before Malta's adoption of the euro on 1 January 2008, it was the third-highest-valued currency unit after the Kuwaiti dinar and Maltese lira. After Malta adopted the Euro, the dinar became the second highest-valued currency unit.
| Current BHD exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From XE: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From fxtop.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From Currency.Wiki: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
Note: Rates obtained from these websites may contradict with pegged rate mentioned above
See also
References
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- ↑ Exchange Rate Policy, Bahrain Monetary Agency Archived June 15, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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External links
| Preceded by: Gulf rupee Ratio: 1 dinar = 10 rupees = 0.75 British pound |
Currency of Bahrain 1965 – |
Succeeded by: Current |
| Currency of Abu Dhabi 1966 – 1973 |
Succeeded by: United Arab Emirates dirham Ratio: 1 dirham = 0.1 dinar |
