It was subdivided into 100 bese (singular: besa, Somali: بيزا).
The Rupia replaced several currencies, including the Maria Theresa thaler and the Indian rupee, to which it was equal.
The first currency specific to Italian Somaliland was issued between 1893 and 1896 by V. Filonardi & Company, a private trading company run by Vincenzo Filonardi, Italy’s former consul at Zanzibar.
Filonardi’s 5-rupia notes were promissory notes not intended to replace the currencies then circulating in Italian Somaliland, including the Indian rupee and the Maria Theresa thaler.
These were cash certificates (buoni di cassa) in denominations of 1, 5 and 10 rupie.