20 Fils Magnetic

Kuwait's fils coinage underwent a quiet but significant material shift when the Central Bank moved several denominations to stainless steel — a change driven primarily by rising nickel prices and counterfeiting concerns that had plagued the older cupro-nickel issues. The magnetic property distinguishes this type from its predecessors and allows automated sorting in banking infrastructure, a practical consideration that drove the retooling cost.

KM#12c is the third documented variety in a long-running type, the earlier iterations stretching back to the post-independence coinage reforms of the 1960s.