Brunei 5 Dollars Hassanal Bolkiah 2024 (2026) Pick 42 Polymer UNC Banknote
The Brunei 5 Dollars 2026 Pick 42 is part of an important new generation of Bruneian currency.
Announced by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) in September 2025, the New Family Banknotes Series introduced redesigned B$1, B$5, B$10, B$100 and B$500 denominations with significantly upgraded security technology. The new notes were scheduled to enter circulation during the first half of 2026. BDCB
The B$5 retains the familiar portrait of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, while combining it with Brunei’s architectural and floral heritage.
Important Date: 2024 (2026)
For your UNCNOTE catalogue, I would list this note as 2024 (2026) rather than simply 2026.
Specialist catalogues identify the issue as 2024 (2026): the note carries the 2024 series/date but was introduced into circulation in 2026. A specialist Banknote Book listing gives the introduction date as 9 March 2026. Robert’s World Money
This distinction is useful for collectors and should remain visible in the product title.
Technical Specifications
- Country: Brunei Darussalam
- Denomination: 5 Dollars
- Year / Series: 2024 (issued 2026)
- Pick Number: P-42
- Condition: Uncirculated (UNC)
- Issuer: Brunei Darussalam Central Bank
- Currency: Brunei Dollar (BND)
- Material: Polymer
- Dimensions: 141 × 69 mm
- Dominant colours: Green and yellow
- Portrait: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
- Reverse: Lapau – Royal Ceremonial Hall
- Type: Standard circulation banknote
- Status: Current legal tender BDCB
Obverse
The obverse features:
- Portrait of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah
- Sultan wearing ceremonial/military attire and traditional dastar headgear
- Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque
- Bunga kunyit (Curcuma longa) flower
- Brunei national crest
- 5 Dollars denomination
- Modern transparent polymer elements Robert’s World Money
One particularly interesting change is the currency terminology. The new family formally uses “Brunei Dollars” rather than “Ringgit” on the denominations, reinforcing “Dollar” as the official currency terminology under Brunei’s Currency Order 2004. BDCB
Reverse
The reverse features the Lapau, Brunei’s Royal Ceremonial Hall.
The Lapau is closely connected with Brunei’s monarchy and royal ceremonies, making it an appropriate counterpart to the portrait of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on the front.
The architectural theme was retained in the new family because BDCB deliberately kept important national motifs familiar while modernising the security technology. BDCB
Security Features
The new B$5 incorporates an extensive range of modern polymer security technology documented by BDCB, including:
- Polymer substrate
- Large transparent window
- Smaller bunga tabor-shaped window
- VIVID White™ UV elements
- UV-fluorescent serial number
- National crest fluorescing red under UV
- Red-to-blue asymmetric horizontal serial number
- AURORA™ colour-shifting feature
- Gold-to-red colour shift around the window
- Traditional pattern changing from gold to yellow
- METALIX™ metallic gold feature
- Raised ink
- Calak Kuya traditional pattern
- Hidden BDCB logo under UV
- SPARK® Live Sandune feature shifting from magenta to green BDCB
The combination of transparent polymer windows and multiple dynamic optical effects makes this a significant technological upgrade over previous Brunei issues.
The New Family Banknotes Series
The B$5 forms part of the new family consisting of:
B$1 – B$5 – B$10 – B$100 – B$500
BDCB deliberately retained the established sizes and colour schemes to make the new notes easy for the public to recognise while upgrading their anti-counterfeiting features. BDCB
The series also introduced the DOMINO™ tactile feature, consisting of denomination-specific raised-dot arrangements designed to help visually impaired users identify different notes. BDCB
