It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively B$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies.

The currency is divided into 100 cents (Malay: sen) and is issued by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank.

Brunei is also famous for its bronze teapots, which were used as currency in barter trade along the coast of northern Borneo.

[6] In 1984, Brunei Currency Board ordered four million circulation coins from the Singapore Mint.

[6] The 50 cents has an additional security feature with a reeded edge with dots between lines at regular interval while other countries' circulation coins are mill-edged.

It was later replaced by the Malayan dollar which was introduced to British colonies and Brunei in 1939.

The Malayan dollar was issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya.

The board stopped issuing the Malayan dollar during the Japanese invasion during World War II.

The Malayan dollar had the portrait of King George VI in front of the note.

The board then began to issue notes to Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo, and Brunei in 1953.

On 12 June 1967,[10] the government (Kerajaan Brunei) introduced notes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 dollars.

[1] First series (1967) – currency with the portrait of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III, the 28th ruler of Brunei.

Fourth Series (1996–2000) all notes except for the polymer issues are no longer printed.

[11] The S$10,000 and B$10,000 notes are the world's most valuable banknotes, (worth US$7,375 as of May 2024) that are officially in circulation.

From 6 November 2020, AMBD has announced it will stop printing B$10,000 notes to reduce the risk of money laundering.