5 Ringgit

Malaysia switched the 5 Ringgit denomination to polymer in 2012, making it one of the earlier polymer issues in the region outside of Australia and New Zealand. The substrate was supplied through the standard Guardian technology route, and the see-through window — integrated into the polymer itself rather than applied as a thread — is a structural feature of the base material, not a separate security addition.

The series ran through 2021, an unusually long active span for a polymer note in a tropical climate, where heat and humidity accelerate surface degradation and delamination at the edges. Circulation wear on Malaysian polymer notes from this period tends to manifest as corner splits rather than the folding creases typical of paper issues.