The central bank remains committed to building a better Malaysia for generations to come. — Bloomberg
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara celebrated its 64th birthday yesterday by remaining committed to building a better Malaysia for generations to come.
In 1955, the World Bank published a report recommending the establishment of a central bank in Malaya, and Bank Negara Tanah Melayu was opened for business on Jan 26, 1959.
The Malayan Stock Exchange was then set up in March 1960, and Bank Negara Tanah Melayu changed its name to Bank Negara Malaysia in 1963.
At the central bank’s virtual museum, which showcases six decades of the journey since the statutory body started operations, on display is the machine that was used to print the Japanese Invasion Money or Banana Money from 1942-1945 before the Japanese surrendered to the British.
Also on display is the biodata of the bank’s first governor Tan Sri William Howard Wilcock, until the bank’s ninth governor Datuk Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus, the office set up of the bank’s second governor Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali, and the central bank’s staff uniform from 1959 until the early 1960s.
For a more interactive tour, visit Bank Negara’s virtual museum at https://museum.bnm.gov.my/bnm60th/360vr/ — Bernama
