What is SSP currency？
The pound (ISO 4217 code: SSP; sign: £) is the official currency of the Republic of South Sudan. It is subdivided into 100 piasters. It was approved by the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly before secession on 9 July 2011 from Sudan.
Banner in Juba announcing the conversion from the Sudanese pound (SDG) to the new currency the South Sudanese pound (SSP)
It was introduced on 18 July 2011, and replaced the Sudanese pound at par. On 1 September 2011, the Sudanese pound ceased to be legal tender in South Sudan.
On October 8, 2020, due to rapid depreciation of the South Sudanese pound’s exchange rate with the United States dollar, South Sudan announced that it would soon change its currency.
SSP Coins
Coins denominated 10, 20, and 50 piasters were put into circulation on 9 July 2015 (South Sudanese Independence Day). As of 2016, South Sudan’s coins are being struck at the South African Mint.
Bimetallic coins in denominations of £1 and £2 were put into circulation during 2016.
The Coat of arms of South Sudan with the country name ‘REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN’ and the date will appear on the obverses. The various coins will include the following:
10pt – Copper-plated Steel – Oil rig.
20pt – Brass-plated Steel – Shoebill stork.
50pt – Nickel-plated Steel – Northern white rhino.
£1 – Bronze-plated Steel centre / Nickel-plated Steel ring – Nubian giraffe.
£2 – Nickel-plated Steel centre / Bronze-plated Steel ring – African Shield.
SSP Banknotes
The banknotes feature the image of John Garang de Mabior, the late leader of South Sudan’s independence movement.
Six different denominations (£1, £5, £10, £25, £50, £100 and £500) in the form of banknotes have been confirmed, and five denominations (1pt, 5pt, 10pt, 25pt and 50pt) will be issued in the form of coins.
Three new banknotes for 5pt, 10pt, and 25pt were issued 19 October 2011.
The first circulation coins of the South Sudanese pound denominated in 10pt, 20pt, and 50pt were issued 9 July 2015, on occasion of the fourth anniversary of independence from Sudan.
In 2016, the Bank of South Sudan issued a £20 banknote to replace the £25 note. In 2018, the Bank of South Sudan introduced a £500 banknote to ease daily cash transactions following years of inflation.
As part of a currency redesign to reduce confusion, a £1 coin was released to replace the £1 banknote, and a coin for £2 has also been released. The £10, £20 and £100 notes were all redesigned.
In November 2016, the Governor of the Bank of South Sudan issued a statement dismissing as false reports claiming that the bank was printing new notes in denominations of £200, £500 and £1,000.
In February 2021, the Bank of South Sudan issued a £1,000 banknote as part of an effort to combat rising inflation and economic crisishttps://www.voaafrica.com/a/africa_south-sudan-focus_south-sudan-sudan-address-economic-crises/6195781.html. The maroon banknote features a familiar design of John Garang on the obverse, and an image of two ostriches on the reverse.