Catalog
45 Kyats
| Issuer | Union of Burma Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987 |
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| Currency | Third kyat (1952-date) |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Thakin Po Hla Gyi, leader of the 1938 oil workers' strike at the Burmah Oil Company, rendered in intaglio at right, set against a multicolour guilloche underprint in blue, orange, and green tones. The denomination numeral '45' appears at lower right in Arabic numerals, with the Burmese script equivalent at lower left, both within a dark blue rectangular panel. A decorative rosette vignette occupies the right margin, and the bank title in Burmese script runs along the upper portion of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | UNION OF BURMA BANK ၄၅ FORTY FIVE KYATS 45 |
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| Comments |
The 45 Kyat denomination was introduced specifically because 45 was considered a numerologically auspicious number by Ne Win, Burma's longtime ruler who governed through the Burma Socialist Programme Party. It was not a convenient denomination for commerce — it was personal superstition driving monetary policy. Ne Win reportedly consulted an astrologer before ordering the denomination, part of a broader pattern that also produced 75 and 90 Kyat notes in the same period.
The reform that created these unusual denominations simultaneously demonetized the 25, 35, and 75 Kyat notes without compensation, wiping out savings held by ordinary citizens and helping trigger the 1988 pro-democracy uprising.