This is how the informal market in Cuba wakes up: The dollar starts off stable and the euro rises slightly

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By CiberCuba Editorial Team

Monday, August 3, 2026 - 11:36

Reference image created with Artificial IntelligencePhoto © CiberCuba / ChatGPT

opens this Monday, August 3, with a mixed outlook: the US dollar remains unchanged, the euro shows a slight increase, and the MLC rises tentatively, albeit with low trading volume.

Overall, the market begins the week without any significant tensions, but the Cuban peso continues to experience a sustained depreciation against the major currencies in the balance of the last month.

The dollar remains unchanged

The U.S. dollar is quoted at 673 Cuban pesos (CUP) in the informal market, with a buying rate of 670 CUP and a selling rate of 675 CUP. It remains unchanged from the previous day, when it also closed at 673 pesos.

In the weekly comparison, the difference is minimal: seven days ago, the dollar was at 674 CUP, just one peso above the current value.

Exchange Rate Evolution

However, the monthly balance is more revealing: 30 days ago, the dollar was trading around 645 pesos, which indicates an increase of approximately 28 pesos during that period.

The demand for dollars remains high among those looking to protect their savings against the depreciation of the peso.

The euro, with a slight rebound

The euro rises slightly this Monday and is trading at 787 Cuban pesos (CUP), with a buying price of 780 CUP and a selling price of 794 CUP. This represents an increase of 2 pesos compared to the previous day, when it was reported at 785 CUP.

In the weekly comparison, the euro is positioned one peso below the 788 CUP it was at seven days ago.

In the monthly balance, the European currency shows an increase of 55 pesos compared to 732 CUP from 30 days ago, a rise of 7.5% which, as with the dollar, may include methodological adjustments of the index.

The European currency surpasses the dollar by 114 pesos, consolidating its dominant position in the Cuban parallel market.

The MLC, indicative value

The MLC is roughly positioned around 480 Cuban pesos (CUP), with an estimated purchase at 447 CUP and a sale at 513 CUP.

This represents an increase of 6.5 pesos compared to the 474 CUP from the previous session, although this figure should be taken with caution: the source warns that the volume of transactions in this range is low, which reduces the representativeness of the value.

In the weekly comparison, the MLC has decreased by 14 pesos compared to the 494 CUP from seven days ago. Without physical existence, its use is limited to state-run businesses that accept "plastic money," which restricts its circulation compared to cash currencies.

Summary of informal market rates

Exchange rate of the dollar USD to CUP: 673 CUP.
Currency exchange rate for the euro EUR to CUP: 787 CUP.
Exchange rate from MLC to CUP: 480 CUP (indicative value, limited data).

The official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Cuba (Segment III) is 615 CUP per dollar and 707 CUP per euro, remaining well below the values that prevail in everyday transactions in the informal currency market.

Although Segment III was introduced as a more flexible exchange mechanism, its official rate remains far removed from that of the informal market and fails to meet the actual demand for foreign currency among the population. The gap between the two markets exceeds 58 pesos for the dollar and 80 pesos for the euro.

In a context 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 Exchange Rate of CiberCuba is an index of the informal Cuban market created from the automated analysis of thousands of currency buying and selling posts in Telegram and Facebook groups.

The calculation dismisses atypical offers and spam messages, weighs each operation according to its age, and consolidates a representative value that is updated several times a day.