Barbadian Dollar Guide: Currency, Exchange, and More

The Barbadian dollar is the official currency of Barbados, a beautiful island nation in the Caribbean. It's pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate of 2:1, meaning that 2 Barbadian dollars are equivalent to 1 US dollar.

You can exchange your money for Barbadian dollars at a bank or a currency exchange office, or even withdraw cash from an ATM using your debit or credit card. Be aware that some businesses may not accept credit cards, so it's a good idea to have some local currency on hand.

The Barbadian dollar is divided into 100 cents, just like the US dollar. You'll also find coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10, and 25 cents, as well as banknotes in denominations of $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.

The Barbadian dollar is a currency that's used in Barbados, and it's one of around 180 currencies worldwide. This means it trades against all other official currencies globally, giving us exchange rates that show how much of one currency we can exchange for another.

The exchange rate for the Barbadian dollar to the US dollar is 1 BBD = 0.5 USD, as of 15/01/2025 11:24. You can also find live charts and conversion tables to help you navigate the exchange rate.

If you're planning to send money to the UK, Australia, or other countries, you'll want to know the exchange rate for the Barbadian dollar. Here are some popular exchange rates: 1 BBD = 0.409 British Pound, 1 BBD = 0.806 Australian Dollar, and 1 BBD = 0.485 Euro.

The exchange rate between the Barbadian dollar and the US dollar is a fixed rate of 1 Barbadian dollar to 0.5 US dollar, as seen in the latest currency exchange rates. This rate has remained stable over the past few days, with no significant fluctuations.

You can find the current exchange rate on the live currency converter page, which also includes a handy conversion table and last 7 days exchange rate history. The exchange rate history table shows that the rate has been stable at 1 BBD = 0.5 USD since January 7th, 2025.

The Barbadian dollar also trades against other currencies, such as the British pound, Australian dollar, and South African rand, among others. For example, you can send 1 Barbadian dollar to the UK and receive 0.409 British pounds, or send 1 Barbadian dollar to Australia and receive 0.806 Australian dollars.

Here are some popular exchange rates for the Barbadian dollar:

Keep in mind that exchange rates can fluctuate over time due to various economic, political, and market factors. It's essential to check the current exchange rate before traveling, buying goods and services, or sending money to Barbados.

The way currency codes work can be a bit confusing, but it's actually pretty straightforward. The ISO 4217 three-letter code for a currency is based on another ISO standard, ISO 3166, which lists the codes for country names.

The first two letters of the ISO 4217 code are the same as the code for the country name. For example, the US dollar is represented as USD – the US coming from the ISO 3166 country code and the D for dollar.

In some cases, the third letter corresponds to the first letter of the currency name. The Swiss franc is represented by CHF – the CH being the code for Switzerland in the ISO 3166 code and F for franc.

Interestingly, some countries like Barbados use different codes. The Government of Barbados and the Central Bank often use the International vehicle registration code "BDS" instead of the ISO 4217 code "BBD".

The Barbados currency, also known as the Barbados dollar (BBD), is the official national currency of the island nation of Barbados. The currency is abbreviated as BBD in the foreign exchange market and is represented by the symbol Bds$.

The Barbados dollar is pegged to the United States dollar (USD) and is divided into 100 cents. Coins are minted in values of one cent to Bds$1, with the 1¢ coin being struck in copper-plated zinc since 1992.

The Barbados dollar banknotes come in values ranging from Bds$2 to Bds$100, with the current denominations in circulation being 2 dollars (light blue), 5 dollars (green), 10 dollars (brown), 20 dollars (purple), 50 dollars (orange), and 100 dollars (grey).

Coins are an essential part of Barbados currency, introduced in 1973. The country's first coins were minted in denominations of 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and $1.

The 1¢ coin has undergone a change in composition, being struck in bronze from 1973 to 1991, and then in copper-plated zinc from 1992 onwards. The 5¢ coin is made of brass, while the higher denominations are made of cupronickel.

The $1 coin is a unique 7-sided equilateral piece featuring a flying fish on one side and the Barbadian coat of arms on the other. Many of the coins in circulation have been struck at the Royal Canadian Mint.

Here's a breakdown of the coins in circulation:

The history of banknotes in Barbados is quite fascinating. In 1882, the Colonial Bank introduced notes for 5 dollars.

The Colonial Bank continued to issue notes, with 20 and 100 dollar notes being introduced in 1920. Barclays Bank, which took over the Colonial Bank in 1922, started issuing 5, 20, and 100 dollar notes.

The Royal Bank of Canada introduced notes in 1909, in denominations of 5, 20, and 100 dollars. These notes also bore the denomination in sterling, with 5 dollars equaling 1 pound 10 pence, 20 dollars equaling 4 pounds 3 shillings 4 pence, and 100 dollars equaling 20 pounds 16 shillings 8 pence.

The Canadian Bank of Commerce issued notes between 1922 and 1940, also in denominations of 5, 20, and 100 dollars.

Between 1938 and 1949, the government issued notes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 20, and 100 dollars, all bearing the portrait of King George VI.

Currently, the Central Bank of Barbados issues banknotes in the following denominations:

The 1 dollar note, which was previously in circulation, was red in color and featured Samuel Jackman Prescod on the obverse.