diff --git a/client/components/FormatSync.tsx b/client/components/FormatSync.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..94d3cdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/components/FormatSync.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { useLayoutEffect, useState, type ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { useSettings } from '@/hooks/useQueries';
+import { setMoneyFormat, getActiveCurrency } from '@/lib/money';
+import { setDateFormat, getActiveDateFormat } from '@/lib/utils';
+
+/**
+ * Reconciles the server's currency / date_format preferences into the
+ * module-level formatters (money.ts / utils.ts). Those are read synchronously
+ * from localStorage at load, so same-device use is already correct with no
+ * flash; this only does work when the server value differs from what's cached —
+ * i.e. a first login on a new device, or a change made on another device. In
+ * that case it bumps a `key` so the routed subtree re-renders once with the
+ * right formatting (cheap; these settings change rarely). Normal on-device
+ * changes write through immediately, so this never forces a disruptive remount
+ * mid-session.
+ */
+export function FormatSync({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
+  const { data } = useSettings();
+  const [version, setVersion] = useState(0);
+
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    if (!data) return;
+    const s = data as Record<string, unknown>;
+    let changed = false;
+    if (typeof s.currency === 'string' && s.currency !== getActiveCurrency()) {
+      setMoneyFormat(s.currency);
+      changed = true;
+    }
+    if (typeof s.date_format === 'string' && s.date_format !== getActiveDateFormat()) {
+      setDateFormat(s.date_format);
+      changed = true;
+    }
+    if (changed) setVersion((v) => v + 1);
+  }, [data]);
+
+  return <div key={version} className="contents">{children}</div>;
+}
diff --git a/client/components/layout/Layout.tsx b/client/components/layout/Layout.tsx
index 1069128..fbea198 100644
--- a/client/components/layout/Layout.tsx
+++ b/client/components/layout/Layout.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { Link, Outlet, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
 import AppNavigation from './Sidebar';
 import { api } from '@/api';
 import PageTransition from '@/components/PageTransition';
+import { FormatSync } from '@/components/FormatSync';
 
 function SimplefinBadge() {
   const [enabled, setEnabled] = useState(false);
@@ -38,7 +39,9 @@ export default function Layout({ mainContentId }: { mainContentId?: string }) {
           id={mainContentId}
         >
           <PageTransition routeKey={location.pathname}>
-            <Outlet />
+            <FormatSync>
+              <Outlet />
+            </FormatSync>
           </PageTransition>
         </div>
       </main>
diff --git a/client/lib/money.ts b/client/lib/money.ts
index 14344b3..b10fb70 100644
--- a/client/lib/money.ts
+++ b/client/lib/money.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,43 @@ type CentsInput = Cents | string | null | undefined;
 
 const DASH = '—';
 
+// ── Active display currency (a user preference; display-only, no conversion) ──
+// Read synchronously from localStorage at module load so the very first paint is
+// already in the right currency (the settings query resolves later; FormatSync
+// reconciles server→local). Amounts are entered/stored in a single currency —
+// this only changes the symbol/locale used to render them.
+const CURRENCY_LOCALES: Record<string, string> = {
+  USD: 'en-US', EUR: 'en-IE', GBP: 'en-GB', CAD: 'en-CA',
+  AUD: 'en-AU', JPY: 'ja-JP', INR: 'en-IN', CHF: 'de-CH',
+};
+const CURRENCY_STORAGE_KEY = 'bt-currency';
+export const SUPPORTED_CURRENCIES = Object.keys(CURRENCY_LOCALES);
+
+function loadCurrency(): string {
+  try {
+    const c = localStorage.getItem(CURRENCY_STORAGE_KEY);
+    if (c && CURRENCY_LOCALES[c]) return c;
+  } catch { /* localStorage unavailable */ }
+  return 'USD';
+}
+
+let activeCurrency = loadCurrency();
+let activeLocale = CURRENCY_LOCALES[activeCurrency] ?? 'en-US';
+
+/** Set the active display currency + persist it (called from Settings + FormatSync). */
+export function setMoneyFormat(currency: string): void {
+  if (!CURRENCY_LOCALES[currency]) return;
+  activeCurrency = currency;
+  activeLocale = CURRENCY_LOCALES[currency]!;
+  try {
+    localStorage.setItem(CURRENCY_STORAGE_KEY, currency);
+  } catch { /* localStorage unavailable */ }
+}
+
+export function getActiveCurrency(): string {
+  return activeCurrency;
+}
+
 function toNumber(value: unknown): number {
   const n = Number(value);
   if (!Number.isFinite(n)) return 0;
@@ -54,9 +91,9 @@ export function formatUSD(
   { whole = false, dash = false }: { whole?: boolean; dash?: boolean } = {},
 ): string {
   if (dash && isBlank(dollars)) return DASH;
-  return toNumber(dollars).toLocaleString('en-US', {
+  return toNumber(dollars).toLocaleString(activeLocale, {
     style: 'currency',
-    currency: 'USD',
+    currency: activeCurrency,
     minimumFractionDigits: whole ? 0 : 2,
     maximumFractionDigits: whole ? 0 : 2,
   });
@@ -77,13 +114,13 @@ export function formatUSDWhole(
  */
 export function formatCentsUSD(
   cents: CentsInput,
-  { signed = false, dash = false, currency = 'USD' }: { signed?: boolean; dash?: boolean; currency?: string } = {},
+  { signed = false, dash = false, currency }: { signed?: boolean; dash?: boolean; currency?: string } = {},
 ): string {
   if (dash && isBlank(cents)) return DASH;
   const c = toNumber(cents);
-  const body = (Math.abs(c) / 100).toLocaleString('en-US', {
+  const body = (Math.abs(c) / 100).toLocaleString(activeLocale, {
     style: 'currency',
-    currency: currency || 'USD',
+    currency: currency || activeCurrency,
     minimumFractionDigits: 2,
     maximumFractionDigits: 2,
   });
diff --git a/client/lib/utils.ts b/client/lib/utils.ts
index 31f4cc7..5965a7b 100644
--- a/client/lib/utils.ts
+++ b/client/lib/utils.ts
@@ -20,10 +20,44 @@ export function errMessage(err: unknown, fallback = 'Something went wrong'): str
   return err instanceof Error && err.message ? err.message : fallback;
 }
 
+// ── Active date format (a display-only user preference) ──
+// localStorage-first so the first paint is already correct (FormatSync reconciles
+// server→local). Input is a stored YYYY-MM-DD string.
+type DateFormat = 'MM/DD/YYYY' | 'DD/MM/YYYY' | 'YYYY-MM-DD';
+const DATE_FORMAT_STORAGE_KEY = 'bt-date-format';
+const VALID_DATE_FORMATS: DateFormat[] = ['MM/DD/YYYY', 'DD/MM/YYYY', 'YYYY-MM-DD'];
+
+function loadDateFormat(): DateFormat {
+  try {
+    const f = localStorage.getItem(DATE_FORMAT_STORAGE_KEY);
+    if (f && (VALID_DATE_FORMATS as string[]).includes(f)) return f as DateFormat;
+  } catch { /* localStorage unavailable */ }
+  return 'MM/DD/YYYY';
+}
+
+let activeDateFormat: DateFormat = loadDateFormat();
+
+/** Set the active date format + persist it (called from Settings + FormatSync). */
+export function setDateFormat(format: string): void {
+  if (!(VALID_DATE_FORMATS as string[]).includes(format)) return;
+  activeDateFormat = format as DateFormat;
+  try {
+    localStorage.setItem(DATE_FORMAT_STORAGE_KEY, format);
+  } catch { /* localStorage unavailable */ }
+}
+
+export function getActiveDateFormat(): string {
+  return activeDateFormat;
+}
+
 export function fmtDate(dateStr: string | null | undefined): string {
   if (!dateStr) return '—';
   const [y = '', m = '', d = ''] = dateStr.split('-');
-  return `${parseInt(m)}/${parseInt(d)}/${y}`;
+  switch (activeDateFormat) {
+    case 'DD/MM/YYYY': return `${parseInt(d)}/${parseInt(m)}/${y}`;
+    case 'YYYY-MM-DD': return `${y}-${m}-${d}`;
+    default:           return `${parseInt(m)}/${parseInt(d)}/${y}`;
+  }
 }
 
 export function localDateString(date: Date = new Date()): string {
diff --git a/client/pages/SettingsPage.tsx b/client/pages/SettingsPage.tsx
index 316dc9d..9dde636 100644
--- a/client/pages/SettingsPage.tsx
+++ b/client/pages/SettingsPage.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ import { useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';
 import { toast } from 'sonner';
 import { AlertCircle, Moon, Monitor, RefreshCw, Sun, Users, HelpCircle } from 'lucide-react';
 import { api } from '@/api';
-import { cn, errMessage, settingEnabled } from '@/lib/utils';
+import { cn, errMessage, settingEnabled, setDateFormat } from '@/lib/utils';
+import { setMoneyFormat } from '@/lib/money';
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
 import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input';
 import { CalendarFeedManager } from '@/components/CalendarFeedManager';
@@ -441,9 +442,12 @@ export default function SettingsPage() {
       <LoginModeRecoverySection />
 
       {/* General */}
-      <SectionCard title="General">
-        <SettingRow label="Currency" description="Default currency for bill amounts.">
-          <Select value={settings.currency} onValueChange={(v) => set('currency', v)}>
+      <SectionCard title="Regional">
+        <SettingRow
+          label={<span className="inline-flex items-center">Currency<SettingHelp label="Currency" text="Changes how amounts are displayed (symbol and number format). Display only — it doesn't convert values; you still track one currency." /></span>}
+          description="How money amounts are shown across the app."
+        >
+          <Select value={settings.currency} onValueChange={(v) => { setMoneyFormat(v); set('currency', v); }}>
             <SelectTrigger className="w-48">
               <SelectValue />
             </SelectTrigger>
@@ -452,12 +456,16 @@ export default function SettingsPage() {
               <SelectItem value="EUR">EUR — Euro</SelectItem>
               <SelectItem value="GBP">GBP — British Pound</SelectItem>
               <SelectItem value="CAD">CAD — Canadian Dollar</SelectItem>
+              <SelectItem value="AUD">AUD — Australian Dollar</SelectItem>
+              <SelectItem value="CHF">CHF — Swiss Franc</SelectItem>
+              <SelectItem value="JPY">JPY — Japanese Yen</SelectItem>
+              <SelectItem value="INR">INR — Indian Rupee</SelectItem>
             </SelectContent>
           </Select>
         </SettingRow>
 
         <SettingRow label="Date format" description="How dates are displayed throughout the app.">
-          <Select value={settings.date_format} onValueChange={(v) => set('date_format', v)}>
+          <Select value={settings.date_format} onValueChange={(v) => { setDateFormat(v); set('date_format', v); }}>
             <SelectTrigger className="w-48">
               <SelectValue />
             </SelectTrigger>