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

Thursday, September 10, 2026 - 8:24 PM

The exchange rate in the informal market closes with the euro rising and the dollar stable (Image created with AI)Photo © ChatGPT

At 8:00 PM, Cuban local time, concludes the day this Thursday, September 10, with mixed behavior among its main currencies. The US dollar ends the day unchanged from the previous session, fixed at 688 Cuban pesos, while the euro shows a notable increase, standing at 784 pesos. The MLC, with a low volume of transactions in this range, offers a reference value of 474 pesos.

The US dollar is quoted at 688 Cuban pesos (CUP) at the close of this trading session. The North American currency remains unchanged compared to the previous session, consolidating a level that is already the highest recorded in the last 30 days. Over the past week, the dollar has increased by 5 pesos from the 683 CUP recorded seven days ago, representing a 0.7% rise. Looking at the month, the exchange rate has gained 22.5 pesos compared to the 665 CUP from 30 days ago, although this comparison should be taken with caution, as it may partly reflect methodological adjustments of the index. It continues to set the tone for the informal market amid a context of structural currency scarcity.

The euro closes higher at 784 Cuban pesos (CUP), which represents an increase of 6 pesos compared to the previous day, when it closed at 778 CUP. Over the last week, the European currency has gained 11 pesos from the 773 CUP recorded seven days ago, an increase of 1.4%. In the past month, it has risen by 16 pesos from the 768 CUP of 30 days ago. The highest value recorded in the last 30 days is 785 CUP, just one peso above today’s close. It exceeds the dollar by 96 pesos, solidifying its dominant position in the Cuban parallel market.

The MLC closes with a reference value of 474 Cuban pesos (CUP), with an important warning: the available data is scarce during this time period, so the figure should be interpreted with caution. This represents an increase of 9 pesos compared to the previous session, when it was around 465 CUP. However, in the last week, the digital currency has accumulated a drop of 35.5 pesos from the 509 CUP of seven days ago. Without physical existence, its use is limited to state-run businesses that accept it, which restricts its circulation compared to cash currencies.

Exchange Rate Evolution

Informal exchange rate in Cuba at the close of Thursday, September 10

Exchange rate of the dollar USD to CUP: 688 CUP.
Exchange rate of the euro EUR to CUP: 784 CUP.
Exchange rate from MLC to CUP: 474 CUP (indicative value, few data).

The official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Cuba (Segment III) is set at 651 CUP per dollar and 758 CUP per euro, remaining significantly below the values that prevail in everyday practice in the informal foreign exchange market. The gap between the official and informal rates exceeds 37 pesos in the case of the dollar and 26 pesos in the case of the euro at the close of this day.

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. It is noteworthy that the official dollar rate has risen from 624 CUP on August 11 to the current 651 CUP, indicating a sustained depreciation of the peso even in the official channel.

In a scenario of sustained inflation, low state salaries, and increasing partial dollarization of the economy, every variation in the informal market directly impacts internal prices and the purchasing power of Cubans. The rise of the euro today, combined with the strength of the dollar at its highest levels in the past month, intensifies the pressure on those who rely on income in pesos to meet their needs.

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 eliminates atypical offers and spam messages, weights each transaction according to its age, and consolidates a representative value that is updated several times a day.