Bank Negara Malaysia began issuing currency notes in June 1967. These banknotes were in five denominations: $1, $5, $10, $50 and $100. A $1,000 denomination note was issued on 2 September 1968.

On 1 September 1982, Bank Negara Malaysia issued two currency denominations, $20 and $500, valid for tender, adding to the denominations of $1, $5, $10, $50, $100 and $1,000 that were already in circulation.

On 5 February 1996, Bank Negara Malaysia introduced the RM2 banknote, which was the first denomination of a new Malaysian banknote to be designed with the Vision 2020 theme. 

Malaysian coins were first issued on 12 June 1967. They were produced in five denominations ​​(1 sen, 5 sen, 10 sen, 20 sen and 50 sen), all bearing the same motif. The $1 coin for normal circulation was issued on 1 May 1971. 

The second series of coins for normal circulation was issued on 4 September 1989. The technical specifications of these coins were the same as for the first series, except that the one Ringgit of the second series was smaller in size and made of a copper-zinc-tin alloy.