This is how the informal market closes in Cuba: the dollar ends the day stable, while the euro rises

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By CiberCuba Editorial Team

Friday, September 4, 2026 - 8:45 PM

In the last week, the greenback has recorded an increase of 10 pesosPhoto © CiberCuba/ChatGPT

At 8:00 PM, local Cuban time, closes the day this Friday, September 4th, with mixed performance among the main currencies. The US dollar ends the day unchanged compared to the previous session, while the euro gains ground and rises to 775 Cuban pesos. The MLC, with limited presence in the market, provides a merely indicative value that should be considered with caution.

The US dollar is quoted at 683 Cuban pesos (CUP) at the close of this trading day. It remains unchanged compared to the previous day, consolidating a position it has held since the start of today. Over the last week, the greenback has risen by 10 pesos, moving from 673 CUP seven days ago to the current level, which represents an increase of 1.5%.

In the last 30 days, the variation is also + 10 pesos (+ 1.5%), although it is important to keep in mind that this comparison may partly reflect methodological adjustments of the index. Over the monthly period, the dollar has fluctuated between a minimum of 663 CUP and the current maximum of 683 CUP. It continues to dictate the rhythm of the informal market in a context of structural foreign currency shortages.

The euro closes this Friday at 775 Cuban pesos (CUP), which represents an increase of 2.5 pesos compared to the previous day, when it was at 773 CUP. The European currency is thus experiencing a clear upward trend over the past week: seven days ago it was valued at 758 CUP, which indicates a gain of 17.5 pesos during that period (+2.3%).

Compared to 30 days ago, when it was at 785 CUP, the euro has experienced a decline of 10 pesos (-1.3%), although this comparison may be influenced by methodological adjustments to the index. Over the past month, the Euro has fluctuated between a low of 746 CUP and a high of 785 CUP. It surpasses the dollar by 92 pesos, strengthening its dominant position in the Cuban parallel market.

The MLC is tentatively positioned around 462 Cuban pesos (CUP) at the close of this trading day, although the available data is scarce and not very representative, so this value should be taken with caution. Compared to the previous day, when a value of 509 CUP was reported, the drop is 47 pesos (-9.2%), a variation that largely reflects the irregularity of the recorded operations rather than a true market movement.

In the last week, it has decreased by 7.5 pesos from the 470 CUP recorded seven days ago. Without physical availability, its use is limited to state-run businesses that accept it, which restricts its circulation compared to cash currencies.

Exchange rate of the dollar USD to CUP: 683 CUP.
Exchange rate of the euro EUR to CUP: 775 CUP.
Exchange rate from MLC to CUP: 462 CUP (indicative value, limited data).

The official exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Cuba (Segment III) is 638 CUP per dollar and 742 CUP per euro, which remains far below the values that prevail in everyday practice in the informal currency market. The gap between the official and informal rates is 45 pesos for the dollar and 33 pesos for the euro.

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 currency from the population.

In the last month, the official dollar has risen from 615 to 638 CUP, and the official euro from 709 to 742 CUP, but this increase is not enough to close the gap with the parallel market.

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