The Kyrgyz som was reintroduced in May 1993 as the republic severed its monetary ties to the Russian ruble zone — one of the last former Soviet states to do so. The 10 som denomination filled a practical gap as inflation through the mid-1990s rendered lower values nearly worthless in daily transactions, and the nickel-plated steel construction adopted for this series reflected the National Bank's cost-containment priorities following years of post-independence fiscal instability.
The Kyrgyz som was reintroduced in May 1993 as the republic severed its monetary ties to the Russian ruble zone — one of the last former Soviet states to do so. The 10 som denomination filled a practical gap as inflation through the mid-1990s rendered lower values nearly worthless in daily transactions, and the nickel-plated steel construction adopted for this series reflected the National Bank's cost-containment priorities following years of post-independence fiscal instability.