He dollar and the euro have accelerated in the informal market. Both the US and European currencies have continued to increase their value this week and distance themselves from the quotes of the official floating rate, although these also show increases.
After trading at 465 pesos (CUP) on Mondaythe dollar has risen 15 pesos in recent days and this Friday it stood at 480 CUP, according to the opposition media The Touchwhich calculates its rate from purchase and sale offers on digital platforms.
The euro, for its part, has increased its value by 20 pesos this week, going from 500 CUP on Monday to 520 CUP this morning. This increase exceeds that already experienced the previous week, which had started to 485 CUP, after experiencing a rise after the events in Venezuela.
The Canadian dollar, although it did not increase its value in the last 24 hours, it has done so since Monday. Then it was quoted at less than 297 CUP and today it is at 310, which represents an increase of just over 13 pesos.
As for the MLC, after having a significant increase weeks ago, it seems to have stabilized around 400 CUP, a value around which it has fluctuated since the end of last year, according to the rate of The Touchwhich continues to be used as a reference by many Cubans despite the accusations and official campaigns against it.
Update of informal currency market rates in Cuba
Date: 01/16/2026Image 1: Representative rate of the informal market (elTOQUE)
EUR: 520.00 CUP
USD: 480.00 CUP
MLC: 400.00 CUPThere are offers in the ranges:
EUR: from 428.00 to 540.00 CUP
USD: from 420.00 to 535.00 CUP
MLC:… pic.twitter.com/sWfcVijK3r— The Touch (@eltoquecom) January 16, 2026
Floating Rate Distance
With the increase in their values in the Cuban informal market, the main currencies have also increased their distance from official quotes, including the new floating rate put into effect by the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) last December.
In his first performancethe dollar was valued by the BCC at 410 CUP, 30 pesos below the price it then exhibited in the exchange rate. The Touch (440 CUP).
Now, however, although this Monday the US currency rose to 419 CUP in the floating ratethe difference with the value of the informal market (480 CUP) is already 61 pesos.
The history of the euro is no different either. Its first value in the new official rate was just over 481 CUP, which even put it slightly above the informal price at that time (480 CUP).
Today, however, the difference between both rates is around 33 pesos in favor of the informal market, because while in this the European currency is quoted at 520 CUP, in the floating rate it shows a value of 486.63 CUP.
Finally, the Canadian dollar has also reversed the trend of weeks ago. If in the first floating rate its value was around 297 CUP, more than 30 above the value it had in the interest rate The Touchnow the latter takes about eight pesos off the current floating rate (301.62 CUP).
All of this occurs in the context of a prolonged and severe economic crisis, which could be further aggravated by the current situation in Venezuela—which until last year was the island’s main oil supplier—and the increase in pressure against Cuba by the Trump Administration.
