This is how the informal market in Cuba closes: the dollar and the euro end the day on a positive note

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By CiberCuba Editorial Team

Sunday, August 30, 2026 - 9:04 PM

Dollar/Euro (Reference image created with Artificial Intelligence)Photo © CiberCuba/ChatGPT

At 8:00 PM, local Cuban time, the informal foreign exchange market in Cuba closes its session this Sunday, August 30, 2026, with both the dollar and the euro experiencing an upward trend. The U.S. dollar ends the day at 676 Cuban pesos, while the euro rises to 765 pesos. The MLC, with limited available data and indicative value only, remains virtually stable around 466 pesos. This information is part of the monitoring of .

The U.S. dollar is trading at 676 Cuban pesos (CUP) at the close of this session. This represents an increase of 1 peso compared to the previous session, when it closed at 675 CUP. In weekly terms, the currency has risen by 11 pesos from the 665 CUP recorded seven days ago, which equates to a 1.7% increase. The 30-day comparison, which should be viewed with caution as it may reflect methodological adjustments of the index, places the current exchange rate just 3.5 pesos above the 673 CUP from a month ago. In the past 30 days, the dollar has fluctuated between a low of 663 and a high of 677 pesos in the informal market. The demand for dollars remains high among those looking to protect their savings against the depreciation of the peso.

The euro advances more sharply and is now at 765 Cuban pesos (CUP) at the close of this Sunday. This represents an increase of 2.5 pesos compared to the previous day, when the European currency closed at 763 CUP. For the week, the euro has gained 13 pesos from the 752 CUP recorded seven days ago, reflecting a rise of 1.7%. Compared to 30 days ago, the current exchange rate is 20 pesos below the 785 CUP at that time, although this comparison may be influenced by methodological adjustments to the index. In the last month, the euro has reached a high of 788 and a low of 746 pesos in the parallel market. It surpasses the dollar by 89 pesos, solidifying its dominant position in the informal Cuban market.

The MLC closes the day at around 466 Cuban pesos (CUP), although this value should be considered indicative since the source warns of limited data available during this time frame. It remains unchanged compared to the previous day, when it was at 467 CUP. In the weekly comparison, the MLC has accumulated a gain of 17 pesos from the 449 CUP recorded seven days ago, representing a 3.8% increase. Without physical existence, its use is limited to the state-run businesses that accept it, which restricts its circulation compared to cash currencies.

Exchange Rate Evolution

Exchange rate of the dollar USD to CUP: 676 CUP.
Exchange rate of the euro EUR to CUP: 765 CUP.
Exchange rate from MLC to CUP: 466 CUP (indicative value, limited data).

The official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Cuba (Segment III), set this Sunday at 634 CUP per dollar and 735 CUP per euro, remains well below the rates that prevail in everyday transactions in the informal currency market. The gap between the official dollar rate and the informal rate exceeds 40 pesos, while in the case of the euro, the difference is around 30 pesos.

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 real demand for foreign currency from the population. It is worth noting that the official exchange rate of the dollar has risen from 611 CUP on July 31 to the current 634 CUP, which reflects a sustained depreciation of the peso even in the official channel.

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

The Exchange Rate of CiberCuba is an index of the Cuban informal market, created through the automated analysis of thousands of currency trading postings in Telegram and Facebook groups. The calculation disregards atypical offers and spam messages, weighs each transaction according to its recency, and consolidates a representative value that is updated several times a day.