On Jan. 1, 2002, the euro began circulating in member countries of the EU, and over the course of several years, it became the accepted currency of the European Union and ultimately replaced the currencies of many of its members. Consequently, the euro integrates and represents a large number of European economies. This serves to stabilize currency exchange rates and volatility for all members of the European Union.

The euro remains overwhelmingly popular among the residents of the countries that have adopted it. Spelling and CapitalizationThe official spelling of the EUR currency unit is “euro”, with a lower case “e”; however, the common industry practice is to spell it “Euro”, with a capital “E”. Many languages have different official spellings for the Euro, which also may or may not coincide with general use. Additionally, there are various nicknames for the currency including, Ege (Finnish), Pavo (Spanish), and Euráče (Slovak). Use of the Euro outside the EUA number of sovereign states that are not part of the European Union have since adopted the Euro, including the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of San Marino, and the Vatican City. The Euro is used as a trading currency in Cuba, North Korea, and Syria and several currencies are pegged to it.

The currency pair indicates how many U.S. dollars (the quote currency) are needed to purchase one euro (the base currency). Trading the EUR/USD currency pair is also known as trading the “euro.” The value of the EUR/USD pair is quoted as 1 euro per x U.S. dollars. For example, if the pair is trading at 1.50, it means https://www.day-trading.info/ it takes 1.5 U.S. dollars to buy 1 euro. Since 2005, stamps issued by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta have been denominated in euros, although the Order’s official currency remains the Maltese scudo.[73] The Maltese scudo itself is pegged to the euro and is only recognised as legal tender within the Order.

These currency charts use live mid-market rates, are easy to use, and are very reliable. As of March 26, 2018, 19 of the 28 member countries of the European Union use the euro. According to the https://www.forexbox.info/ ECB, as of January 1, 2017, more than €1 trillion are in circulation in the world. In general, those in Europe who own large amounts of euro are served by high stability and low inflation.

EU members not using the euro

News of the government debt crisis and immigrant influx in Italy and Greece resulted in a euro selloff, prompting the pair’s exchange rate to plunge. Supporters of the euro argued that a single European currency would boost trade by eliminating foreign exchange fluctuations and reducing prices. Although there were concerns regarding a single currency, including worries about counterfeiting and loss of national sovereignty and national identity, 11 countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain) formally joined the EMU in 1998.

The Xe Rate Alerts will let you know when the rate you need is triggered on your selected currency pairs. These are the lowest points the exchange rate has been at in the last 30 and 90-day periods. These are the highest points the exchange rate has been at in the last 30 and 90-day periods. Check live rates, send money securely, set rate alerts, receive notifications and more. Thomas J Catalano is a CFP and Registered Investment Adviser with the state of South Carolina, where he launched his own financial advisory firm in 2018.

Transaction costs and risks

Pegging a country’s currency to a major currency is regarded as a safety measure, especially for currencies of areas with weak economies, as the euro is seen as a stable currency, prevents runaway inflation, and encourages foreign investment due to its stability. The euro is the sole legal tender in the EU member states that have adopted it, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, https://www.topforexnews.org/ Slovenia, and Spain. These countries form the eurozone, a region where the euro serves as the common currency. Four small non-EU nations (Andorra, Vatican City, San Marino, and Monaco) also use the euro as their official currency and several countries have currencies pegged to the euro. It is the second-most traded currency on the forex market, after the US Dollar, and also a major global reserve currency. Other common names for the Euro include Yoyo (Irish English), Leru (Spanish), and Ege (Finnish).

Having demonstrated fiscal stability since joining the EU in 2004, both Malta and the Greek Cypriot sector of Cyprus adopted the euro in 2008. Other countries that adopted the currency include Slovakia (2009), Estonia (2011), Latvia (2014), Lithuania (2015), and Croatia (2023). (The euro is also the official currency in several areas outside the EU, including Andorra, Montenegro, Kosovo, and San Marino.) The 20 participating EU countries are known as the euro area, euroland, or the euro zone. The rates were determined by the Council of the European Union,[f] based on a recommendation from the European Commission based on the market rates on 31 December 1998. The European Currency Unit was an accounting unit used by the EU, based on the currencies of the member states; it was not a currency in its own right.

They could not be set earlier, because the ECU depended on the closing exchange rate of the non-euro currencies (principally pound sterling) that day. Due to differences in national conventions for rounding and significant digits, all conversion between the national currencies had to be carried out using the process of triangulation via the euro. The definitive values of one euro in terms of the exchange rates at which the currency entered the euro are shown in the table. All circulating coins have a common side showing the denomination or value, and a map in the background. Due to the linguistic plurality in the European Union, the Latin alphabet version of euro is used (as opposed to the less common Greek or Cyrillic) and Arabic numerals (other text is used on national sides in national languages, but other text on the common side is avoided). For the denominations except the 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, the map only showed the 15 member states of the union as of 2002.

1. Supporters of the euro argued that a single European currency would boost trade by eliminating foreign exchange fluctuations and reducing prices.
2. The official date on which the national currencies ceased to be legal tender varied from member state to member state.
3. The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new euro notes and coins were introduced on 1 January 2002.
4. Trading the EUR/USD currency pair is also known as trading the “euro.” The value of the EUR/USD pair is quoted as 1 euro per x U.S. dollars.
5. The treaty called for a common unit of exchange, the euro, and set strict criteria for conversion to the euro and participation in the EMU.

Thomas’ experience gives him expertise in a variety of areas including investments, retirement, insurance, and financial planning. For this reason, the interest rate differential between the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve (Fed) affects the value of these currencies when compared to each other.

Beginning in 2007 or 2008 (depending on the country), the old map was replaced by a map of Europe also showing countries outside the EU.[34] The 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, however, keep their old design, showing a geographical map of Europe with the EU member states as of 2002, raised somewhat above the rest of the map. The coins also have a national side showing an image specifically chosen by the country that issued the coin. Euro coins from any member state may be freely used in any nation that has adopted the euro. These countries generally had previously implemented a currency peg to one of the major European currencies (e.g. the French franc, Deutsche Mark or Portuguese escudo), and when these currencies were replaced by the euro their currencies became pegged to the euro.

The earliest date was in Germany, where the mark officially ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 2001, though the exchange period lasted for two months more. The earliest coins to become non-convertible were the Portuguese escudos, which ceased to have monetary value after 31 December 2002, although banknotes remained exchangeable until 2022. The currency was introduced in non-physical form (traveller’s cheques, electronic transfers, banking, etc.) at midnight on 1 January 1999, when the national currencies of participating countries (the eurozone) ceased to exist independently. The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new euro notes and coins were introduced on 1 January 2002.

Against other major currencies

Unlike most of the national currencies that they replaced, euro banknotes do not display famous national figures. The seven colourful bills, designed by the Austrian artist Robert Kalina and ranging in denomination from €5 to €500, symbolize the unity of Europe and feature a map of Europe, the EU’s flag, and arches, bridges, gateways, and windows. The coins feature one side with a common design; the reverse sides’ designs differ in each of the individual participating countries. That has forced the EU to introduce measures like ECB guarantees for the debt issued by member states in response to market turmoil caused by the European sovereign debt crisis. National governments and central banks remain constrained in responding to economic conditions in their country by their reliance on the ECB’s monetary policy and budget rules set by the EU.

Our currency rankings show that the most popular US Dollar exchange rate is the USD to USD rate. On the other hand, the eurozone brought together economies with disparate characteristics and national budgets without the authority for the sort of cross-border fiscal transfers that take place between the U.S. federal government and U.S. states. The currency is also used officially by the institutions of the European Union, by four European microstates that are not EU members,[7] the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, as well as unilaterally by Montenegro and Kosovo. Outside Europe, a number of special territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency. Additionally, over 200 million people worldwide use currencies pegged to the euro. Create a chart for any currency pair in the world to see their currency history.

The most obvious benefit of adopting a single currency is to remove the cost of exchanging currency, theoretically allowing businesses and individuals to consummate previously unprofitable trades. For consumers, banks in the eurozone must charge the same for intra-member cross-border transactions as purely domestic transactions for electronic payments (e.g., credit cards, debit cards and cash machine withdrawals). To participate in the currency, member states are meant to meet strict criteria, such as a budget deficit of less than 3% of their GDP, a debt ratio of less than 60% of GDP (both of which were ultimately widely flouted after introduction), low inflation, and interest rates close to the EU average. In the Maastricht Treaty, the United Kingdom and Denmark were granted exemptions per their request from moving to the stage of monetary union which resulted in the introduction of the euro. For example, the central bank of a country experiencing an economic slowdown can no longer cut interest rates, devaluing a national currency against that of its major European trading partners to stimulate exports.

Bulgaria and Romania are actively working to adopt the euro, while the remaining states do not plan to switch in the near future. These percentages show how much the exchange rate has fluctuated over the last 30 and 90-day periods. For local phonetics, cent, use of plural and amount formatting (€6,00 or 6.00 €), see Language and the euro. Outside the eurozone, two EU member states have currencies that are pegged to the euro, which is a precondition to joining the eurozone. The Danish krone and Bulgarian lev are pegged due to their participation in the ERM II. The symbol € is based on the Greek letter epsilon (Є), with the first letter in the word “Europe” and with 2 parallel lines signifying stability.