Maldivian rufiyaa

The modern building of the Maldives Monetary Authority

The earliest form of currency used in the Maldives was cowry shells (Cypraea moneta) and historical accounts of travellers indicate that they were traded in this manner even during the 13th century. As late as 1344, Ibn Batuta observed that more than 40 ships loaded with cowry shells were exported each year. A single gold dinar was worth 400,000 shells.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, lārin[2] (parallel straps of silver wire folded in half with dyed Persian and Arabic inscriptions) were imported and traded as currency. This form of currency was used in the Persian Gulf, India, Ceylon and the Far East during this time. Historians agree that this new form of currency was most probably exchanged for cowry shells and indicates Maldives' lucrative trade with these countries. The first Sultan to imprint his own seal onto this currency was Ghaazee Mohamed Thakurufaanu Al Auzam. The seal was much broader than the wires hence it was barely legible.

Maldivian coins from the 17th and 18th century.

The first known of coins were introduced by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar (1648–1687). Compared to the previous forms of money, these coins were much neater and minted in pure silver. The coins were minted in the capital city of Malé, a fact which it acknowledged on the reverse. The legend "King of Land and Sea, Iskandhar the Great" (Dhivehi: ކަނޑާއި އެއްގަމުގެ ރަސްގެފާނު، މަތިވެރި އިސްކަންދަރު) is found on the edge.

After this period, gold coins replaced the existing silver ones during the reign of Sultan Hassan Nooruddin in 1787. He used two different qualities of gold in his coins; one was called Mohoree and the other Baimohoree, of which the former is of higher value. How this gold was obtained is uncertain.

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, bronze coins were issued denominated in laari. Sultan Mohamed Imaadhudheen IV (1900–1904) introduced what historians believe to be the first machine struck coins, judging the superior quality of the engravements. His successor Sultan Mohamed Shamshudeen III (1904–1935) made the last of these coins, 1 and 4 laari denominations, which were struck in the United Kingdom by Heaton's Mint, Birmingham, England in 1913.

Following the end of coin production specifically for the Maldives, the Sultanate came to use the Ceylonese rupee. This was supplemented in 1947 by issues of banknotes denominated in rufiyaa, equal in value to the rupee. In 1960, coins denominated in laari, now worth one hundredth of the rufiyaa, were introduced.

In early 1960, Sultan Mohamed Fareed I ordered coins from the Royal Mint in England. The new issue consisted of denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 laari. Unlike his predecessors, Sultan Fareed did not embellish his title on the coins; instead he used the National Emblem on the reverse side with the traditional title of the state (Arabic: الدولة المحلديبية‎, State of Maldives) and the denomination value on the obverse side. The currency was put into circulation in February 1961 and all the previously traded coins, with the exception of Shamshudeen III's 1 and 4 laari, were withdrawn from circulation on 17 June 1966.

The newly established central bank, the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), introduced the 1-rufiyaa coin on 22 January 1983. The coin was made from steel clad copper nickel and was minted in West Germany. In 1984, a new series of coins was introduced which did not include the 2 laari denomination. In 1995, 2 rufiyaa coins were introduced. Coins currently in circulation are 1 laari, 2 laari, 5 laari, 10 laari, 25 laari, 50 laari, 1 rufiyaa, 2 rufiyaa.

In 1945, the Majlis of the Maldives (Parliament) passed bill number 2/66 on the "Maldivian Bank Note". Under this law, banknotes for ​¹⁄₂, 1, 2, 5 and 10 rufiyaa were printed and put into circulation on 5 September 1948.[3] In 1951, 50 and 100 rufiyaa banknotes were introduced.

The current series of banknotes was issued in 1983 in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 rufiyaa. 500-rufiyaa banknotes were added in 1990, with the 2-rufiyaa replaced by a coin in 1995.

In October 2015, the Maldives Monetary Authority issued a 5,000-rufiyaa banknote in polymer to commemorate the 50th anniversary of independence, and issued a new family of banknotes in polymer that included a new denomination of 1,000 rufiyaa. A 5-rufiyaa banknote printed in polymer was revealed in May 2017 and was issued in July 2017. It was originally planned that this denomination was to be replaced by a coin of the same denomination, but public input convinced the Maldives Monetary Authority to go for the banknote.

Illustrations on the banknotes were done by Maizan Hassan Manik and Abbaas (Bamboo).

2015–17 ("Ran Dhihafaheh") series
Image		Value	Main colour	Dimensions	Description		Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse
		5 rufiyaa	Gray and red	70 mm × 150 mm	Football players; fish; dancers	Conch shell	2017
		10 rufiyaa	Yellow-brown		Men and women playing traditional drums; Toddy tapper	Traditional Maldivian drum	2015
		20 rufiyaa	Pink-violet		Jet airplane taking off from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport; Fisherman and skipjack tuna; cowry shell (Cyprea moneta)	Dhoni
		50 rufiyaa	Green		Men pulling boats from the beach onto the water; Seated boy reciting the Quran	Minaret of the Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy)
		100 rufiyaa	Red		Group of locals in traditional attire; seated woman wearing traditional dress (Libaas), working on the neckline threading (Hiru) of a similar dress	Early Dhivehi scripture (Dambidū Lōmāfānu)
		500 rufiyaa	Orange		Woman making ekels (Iloshi), traditionally used for brooms (Iloshi fathii); artisan carving wood using mallet and chisel	Traditional hand carved vase with lacquer work detailing
		1000 rufiyaa	Blue		Manta rays (Manta alfredi), Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)	Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

• Currency of Maldives
• Economy of Maldives

• Currency in Circulation, Maldives Monetary Authority
• Official Exchange Rates
• Banknotes of the Maldives