At 8:00 PM, local Cuban time, concludes the day this Friday, August 21, 2026, with a mixed outcome: the US dollar holds steady with no change from yesterday, while the euro experiences a new decline and the MLC shows a significant drop, although its rate should be taken with caution due to the low volume of transactions supporting it.
The U.S. dollar is trading at 663 Cuban pesos (CUP) at the close of today's session. It remains unchanged from the previous session, solidifying a week of notable stability. Looking at the weekly trend, the difference is minimal: seven days ago, the greenback was at 664 pesos, just one peso above the current level. In the monthly balance, the dollar has dropped by 8.5 pesos from 671 CUP thirty days ago, although it is important to note that this comparison may partly reflect methodological adjustments of the index. The highest recorded in the last thirty days was 675 pesos, and the minimum coincides with the current level, 663 pesos. It continues to set the tone of the informal market in a context of structural currency shortages.
The euro closes at 748 Cuban pesos (CUP), which represents a drop of 2 pesos compared to the previous day, when it was at 750 CUP. The downward trend continues throughout the week: a week ago, the European currency was trading at 760 pesos, which is 12 pesos higher than today's level. For the monthly total, the decline reaches 29.5 pesos from the 778 CUP of thirty days ago, although this figure may include methodological adjustments of the index. Today, the euro hits its lowest point in the last thirty days, with a monthly high of 790 pesos. It surpasses the dollar by 85 pesos, consolidating its dominant position in the Cuban parallel market.
The MLC is quoted around 450 Cuban pesos (CUP), although this value should be considered indicative due to the low volume of transactions recorded during this time frame. Compared to the previous session, where it was at 467 pesos, the decline is 17.5 pesos, a decrease of 3.7%. In the weekly comparison, the MLC is positioned 4.5 pesos above the 454 CUP from a week ago. Over the past month, the digital currency has fluctuated between a high of 529 and a low of 413 pesos. Without physical existence, its use is limited to the state-owned businesses that accept it, which restricts its circulation compared to cash currencies.
Exchange Rate Evolution
- Exchange rate of the dollar USD to CUP: 663 CUP.
- Exchange rate of the euro EUR to CUP: 748 CUP.
- Exchange rate from MLC to CUP: 450 CUP (indicative value, limited data).
The official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Cuba (Segment III), at 635 CUP per dollar and 742 CUP per euro, remains well below the values that prevail in everyday practice in the informal currency market.
Although Segment III was presented 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 among the population. In the case of the dollar, the gap between the official and informal prices exceeds 28 pesos; for the euro, the difference is just 6 pesos, although the parallel market continues to be the real reference for most Cubans.
In a scenario of sustained inflation, low state salaries, and growing partial dollarization of the economy, every fluctuation in the informal market directly impacts internal prices and the purchasing power of Cubans. The decline of the euro and the drop of the MLC on this day do not relieve the pressure on the wallets of those who depend on remittances or currency transactions to meet their daily needs.
The Exchange Rate from CiberCuba is an index of the Cuban informal market created from the automated analysis of thousands of currency trading posts in Telegram and Facebook groups. The calculation disregards atypical offers and spam messages, weights each transaction according to its age, and consolidates a representative value that is updated several times a day.
Equivalence of United States Dollar (USD) bills to Cuban Peso (CUP), according to the exchange rates of this Friday, August 21, 2026
- 1 USD = 663 CUP
- 5 USD = 3.315 CUP
- 10 USD = 6.630 CUP
- 20 USD = 13,260 CUP
- 50 USD = 33,150 CUP
- 100 USD = 66,300 CUP
Equivalence of Euro (EUR) to Cuban Peso (CUP), according to the exchange rates from this Friday, August 21, 2026
- 1 EUR = 748 CUP
- 5 EUR = 3.740 CUP
- 10 EUR = 7.480 CUP
- 20 EUR = 14.960 CUP
- 50 EUR = 37,400 CUP
- 100 EUR = 74,800 CUP
- 200 EUR = 149,600 CUP
Filed under: