Date: For Parliament Sitting on 24 February 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Fadli Fawzi, Aljunied GRC

Question

Mr Fadli Fawzi: To ask the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) in each of the last five years, what is the cost of minting each five-cent coin; (b) where the seigniorage on five-cent coins is negative, whether the Government has any plans to withdraw five-cent coins from circulation; and (c) if not, why not.

Answer by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, and Chairman of MAS:

1. MAS has not minted any new 5-cent coins in the last 5 years and there are no plans to mint new 5-cent coins at this stage.

2. Our estimate is that the cost of producing a 5-cent coin remains below its face value.

3. MAS currently has no plans to stop the issuance of 5-cent coins as there continues to be public demand for these coins. Businesses like supermarkets and fast food restaurants do price some items with 5-cents (for example, $1.95) and stores may charge 5 cents to 10 cents for each disposable bag. Withdrawing 5-cent coins from circulation could have an effect of retailers rounding up their prices and increasing costs to consumers.

4. MAS will continue to monitor the usage patterns and demand for 5-cent coins to assess the relevance of this denomination for the longer term.

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