Maldivian Rufiyaa symbol added to Unicode Consortium

The Unicode Consortium has officially added the symbol for the Maldivian Rufiyaa to Unicode 18.0, the latest version of the Unicode Standard released on Wednesday.

The official Rufiyaa symbol is based on the Thaana letter 'Raa', featuring an additional horizontal stroke across the middle.

Under Unicode Standard Version 18.0, the Maldivian Rufiyaa symbol has been assigned the code point U+20C2.

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) stated that the inclusion of the Rufiyaa symbol, which was first introduced by the authority in 2022, in the Unicode Standard will allow it to be used consistently across websites, mobile applications, and other digital platforms.

The MMA described the development as a significant milestone in enabling the seamless integration of the national currency symbol into digital communications. The authority also expressed its appreciation to all parties involved in efforts to secure the symbol’s inclusion in the Unicode Standard.

The Unicode Consortium is the international organization responsible for maintaining standards that ensure currency symbols and characters from different countries are represented consistently across digital platforms.

However, the conception and design of a national currency symbol remain the sole responsibility of the respective country’s official authorities.