Bahraini dinar

Bahraini dinar
دينار بحريني (Arabic)
1 dinar
ISO 4217 Code	BHD
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, 500 fils
Banknotes	BD ½, BD 1, BD 5, BD 10, BD 20
Monetary authority	Central Bank of Bahrain
Website	www.cbb.gov.bh

The dinar (Arabic: دينار‎) (sign: .د.ب or BD; code: BHD) is the currency of Bahrain. The ISO 4217 currency code is BHD. 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.

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
	500 fils	27 mm	9 g	Cupro-nickel ring, brass centre	Pearl over tripod	Value	2000 For a wider history surrounding currency in the region, see The History of British Currency in the Middle East.

Banknotes

In 1965, The Bahrain Currency Board introduced notes in denominations of 100 fils, ¼, ½, 1, 5 and 10 dinar. In 1973, the Bahrain Monetary Agency took over production of paper money, issuing notes for ½, 1, 5, 10 and 20 dinar. In 2006, the Monetary Agency was renamed the Central Bank. On March 2, 2008, the Central Bank of Bahrain has released pictures of the new notes bearing its name in the local newspapers. The Central Bank stated that the new notes will be released shortly. The new notes will be used hand in hand with the old ones. The new notes also feature new images 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.

4rd 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 Dinar	Blue	Shaikh Isa House in Muharraq and Riffa Fort	First oil well in Bahrain and Aluminum Bahrain (Alba)
		10 Dinar	Green	Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah (Bahrain King)	Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Causeway
		20 Dinar	Brown/light blue	Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah (Bahrain King)	Al Fateh Islamic Center

3rd series
Image		Value	Main Colour
		½ Dinar	Brown
		1 Dinar	Red
		5 Dinar	Blue
		10 Dinar	Green
		20 Dinar	Purple

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^[1] 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. Now it is the second highest.

Note: Rates obtained from these websites may contradict with pegged rate mentioned above

See also

• Gulf Rupee
• Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
• Economy of Bahrain

References

External links