Money Matters
Male' local market
The Maldivian Rufiyaa is the official currency of the Maldives. The current exchange rate is US$1 = MRF 12.85 and €1 = MRF 15.00. One Rufiyaa could be divided into a hundred smaller units known as Laari, the local version of cents. The Rufiyaa comes in eight different denominations of Five Hundred, One Hundred, Fifty, Twenty, Ten, Five, Two and One.
The denomination of One Rufiyaa comes in the forms of coins, while for Two Rufiyaa denominations both notes and coins are used and the rest comes in notes. The laari comes in denominations of fifty, twenty-five, ten, five, two and one. The US Dollar is the most popular foreign currency.
However, other international currencies can also be exchanged at the banks and authorised moneychangers. The commonly used credit cards are MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club, JCB and Eurocard. Travellers cheques are accepted by most hotels, resorts and banks.
