At the centre of the emblem is a red shield bearing a white crescent, a new moon—representing a "young nation on the ascendant", and five white stars—representing democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality, supported by a lion and a tiger—representing Singapore's namesake and the country's historical ties to the Malay Peninsula; below them is a blue ribbon inscribed with Majulah Singapura in gold, Malay for "Onward Singapore".

[1] A committee was formed to design the state symbols, headed by the deputy prime minister Toh Chin Chye, who wanted both the arms and flag of Singapore to represent the country's united, multi-ethnic society.

A law establishing the state symbols of Singapore was presented to the National Assembly by the Minister of Culture, S. Rajaratnam, and approved in November 1959.

[5] From an alternative perspective the lion may also symbolize the nation's historical ties to the United Kingdom, as part of the Straits Settlements, a crown colony under the then British Empire.

The coat of arms is displayed on the obverse side of these coins, surrounded by an inscription comprising the name of Singapore in the four official languages (English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil) and the year of minting.

Without explicit permission from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), no person or group is permitted to physically print, manufacture, display or sell anything depicting the coat of arms, or to allow such actions to happen.

The only exception provided by the Rules is that the arms can be used by government officials and ministries on their building's exteriors and on printed documents.