I just reviewed an interesting ranking of the 20 most important currencies in the world, and I was quite surprised by the order. The Kuwaiti dinar is in first place, followed by the Bahraini dinar and the Omani rial. Basically, the currencies of the Golfo Pérsico dominate the top of the list.

Then come the Jordanian dinar and the Cayman Islands dollar, followed by the British pound, the euro, the Swiss franc, and the US dollar in ninth place. Honestly, I was struck that the US dollar isn’t higher given its global influence.

Moving down, we find the Bahamian dollar, the Panamanian balboa, the Bermudian dollar, and the Canadian dollar. Then come the Singapore dollar, the Brunei dollar, and the Australian dollar. The New Zealand dollar, the Bulgarian lev, the Fijian dollar, and finally the Brazilian real close out the list of these 20 most important currencies worldwide.

It’s interesting to see how currencies from countries with smaller but stable economies take such high positions. It’s definitely worth understanding better how a currency’s strength is actually measured.