This Saturday, the informal market in Cuba opens with the dollar and euro on the rise

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By CiberCuba Editorial Team

Saturday, July 25, 2026 - 12:21

Dollars, euros, and Cuban pesos (Reference image)Photo © CiberCuba

At 10:00 a.m., local Cuban time, kicks off the day this Saturday, July 25, 2026, with the dollar and euro rising, while the Cuban peso continues to lose ground against foreign currencies.

The MLC, for its part, shows a decline compared to the previous session, although its quotation should be taken as indicative given the low volume of transactions supporting it.

The start of the day confirms the upward trend that has characterized the week: both the dollar and the euro are marking values higher than those of seven days ago, and the euro hits its highest point in the last 30 days at this opening.

United States Dollar (USD)

The U.S. dollar is trading at 674 Cuban pesos (CUP) in the informal market this Saturday. This represents an increase of 1.5 pesos compared to the previous day, when it was at 673 CUP.

Exchange Rate Evolution

From a weekly perspective, the US dollar has risen by 11.5 pesos compared to the 663 CUP it was at seven days ago, which represents an increase of 1.7%.

Compared to the previous month, when it was priced around 670 CUP, the increase is 4 pesos, although this comparison should be interpreted cautiously, as it may reflect methodological adjustments of the index in addition to the actual market movement.

In the past month, the dollar has fluctuated between a minimum of 610 CUP and a maximum of 675 CUP. It continues to set the pace of the informal market in a context of structural currency shortages.

Euro (EUR)

The euro opens at 785 Cuban pesos (CUP), which represents an increase of 6.5 pesos compared to the previous day, when it closed at 778 CUP.

On a weekly basis, the European currency has gained 27.5 pesos compared to the 757 CUP from seven days ago, marking a 3.6% increase, making it the currency with the highest upward momentum of the week.

Compared to 30 days ago, when it was trading around 769 CUP, the euro has gained an additional 16 pesos, although this monthly reference may include methodological variations in the index.

It is worth noting that today's value, 785 CUP, matches the highest recorded in the last 30 days, reinforcing the upward pressure on this currency. It asserts itself as the most expensive currency in the Cuban parallel market, surpassing the dollar by 111 pesos.

MLC

The MLC is exchanged around 473 Cuban pesos (CUP) at this opening, although this figure should be taken as indicative given the low volume of transactions recorded during this time frame.

This represents a decrease of 9 pesos compared to the previous day, when it was trading at 482 CUP. However, in a weekly perspective, the MLC has increased by 40 pesos from the 433 CUP of seven days ago, a rise of 9.2%.

In the last month, it has fluctuated widely, between a minimum of 399 CUP and a maximum of 543 CUP. Without physical existence, its use is limited to state-owned businesses that accept it, which restricts its circulation compared to cash foreign currencies.

Summary of informal market exchange rates — July 25, 2026

Exchange rate of the dollar USD to CUP: 674 CUP.
Exchange rate of the euro EUR to CUP: 785 CUP.
Exchange rate from MLC to CUP: 473 CUP (indicative value, limited data).

The official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Cuba (Segment III) is 601 CUP per dollar and 684 CUP per euro, which remains well below the values that prevail in everyday practice in the informal currency market.

Although Segment III was introduced as a more flexible exchange mechanism, its official rate remains far from that of the informal market and fails to meet the actual demand for foreign currency from the population.

The gap between both markets today exceeds 73 pesos for the dollar and 101 pesos for the euro.

In a scenario of sustained inflation, low state wages, and increasing partial dollarization of the economy, every fluctuation in the informal market directly affects internal prices and the purchasing power of Cubans.

The CiberCuba Exchange Rate is an index of the informal Cuban market, created through the automated analysis of thousands of currency exchange posts in Telegram and Facebook groups.

The calculation discounts atypical offers and spam messages, weighs each transaction based on its age, and consolidates a representative value that is updated multiple times a day.