Catalog
| Issuer | Bank Negara Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Year | 2012-2021 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Ringgit |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Portrait of Tuanku Abdul Rahman, first Yang di-Pertuan Agong, at right, set against an underprint of intricate songket textile patterns in the central and left fields. The national flower, the hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), appears as an additional vignette element within the design. Earlier printings are noted for exhibiting notably brighter colour saturation, constituting a recognised printing variety. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette carries the official emblem of Bank Negara Malaysia, incorporating a Kijang Emas (barking deer, Muntiacus muntjak) alongside the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), rendered in a stylised heraldic composition against a guilloche underprint. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Malaysia switched the 5 Ringgit denomination to polymer in 2012, making it one of the earlier polymer issues in the region outside of Australia and New Zealand. The substrate was supplied through the standard Guardian technology route, and the see-through window — integrated into the polymer itself rather than applied as a thread — is a structural feature of the base material, not a separate security addition.
The series ran through 2021, an unusually long active span for a polymer note in a tropical climate, where heat and humidity accelerate surface degradation and delamination at the edges. Circulation wear on Malaysian polymer notes from this period tends to manifest as corner splits rather than the folding creases typical of paper issues.