Starting in 1910, banknotes were issued for the then colony by the Bank of Indochina.

In 1948, the first coins were issued specifically for use in Djibouti, in the name of the "Côte Française des Somalis".

This was the value which the French franc had under the Bretton Woods system until a few months before.

Between 1920 and 1922, the Chamber of Commerce issued tokens struck in zinc, aluminium, bronze and aluminium-bronze in denominations of 5, 10, 25 and 50 centimes and 1 franc.

From 2013, new coins of 250 francs were put in circulation to complement the other denominations.

Chamber of Commerce notes were introduced in 1919 in denominations of 5, 10 and 50 centimes and 1 franc.