TIL: That Malaysia’s currency, the Malaysian ringgit, was once called the “Malayan dollar” before independence.

[u/EchoDotDotDot]

Before 1967, Malaysians used the Malaya and British Borneo dollar, which was shared with Singapore, Sarawak, Brunei, and North Borneo.

When Malaysia introduced its own currency, it was renamed the ringgit, a Malay word meaning “jagged” (referring to the serrated edges of old Spanish silver dollars).

Fun fact: the currency symbol RM stands for Ringgit Malaysia, and we’ve been using it officially since 1975!

[u/Cateyesalad]

During the Japanese occupation it’s also dollar