KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) celebrated its 64th birthday today 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 BNM’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 (JIM) or Banana Money from 1942-1945 before the Japanese surrendered to the British.
Also on display at the virtual museum 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, 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 BNM’s virtual museum at https://museum.bnm.gov.my/bnm60th/360vr/ – Bernama