SAR - Saudi Riyal

Since its founding in 1952, the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, has managed the country’s currency. The Riyal is pegged to the US Dollar at a fixed rate of 3.75 SAR to 1 USD. As a result, the currency stays stable, which is a good thing for an economy that relies heavily on oil exports and international investments.

'The Saudi Riyal has a long history that dates back to the formation of the Kingdom in 1932. It replaced the Hejaz and Nejd currencies and became the country’s official money. Over the years, the Riyal has seen several design updates and security improvements, keeping it modern and trustworthy.

The Riyal stands out for its attractive banknotes, featuring portraits of Saudi kings and important landmarks such as the Kaaba in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. In 2020, Saudi Arabia released its sixth series of banknotes, adding new security features like color-changing ink, holograms, and tactile marks. Each banknote contains a thread of pure silver embedded within it. The Riyal is widely used by pilgrims visiting for Hajj and Umrah, which makes it one of the most circulated currencies in the Islamic world.

The official currency symbol for the Saudi Riyal is ر.س, an abbreviation of “Riyal Saudi” in Arabic. In international transactions and currency exchange markets, the currency is usually written as “SAR.” While it doesn’t have a stylized international symbol like some other currencies, it remains easily recognizable across the Middle East and beyond.