This could be an attempt to address the inconsistency of formatting currency values in a multi-currency NetSuite account. It is a common problem that has required annoying workarounds. For example, if you have an account with a base currency of US Dollars, but have an Invoice in Euros, if you use FreeMarker's currency formatting with a numeric value, it will render with a $ and using your locale's numerical formatting, not the transaction's currency formatting.