At the beginning of the year, a representative of the Caribbean and Cimex state chains said that dollar stores would not exceed 7% of the total number of shops.
Miami, United States. – At the beginning of May, the independent medium Eltoque He accounted for 85 establishments in Cuba that sold exclusively in dollars. Five months later, the figure amounts to 209, which represents an increase of 146%, according to the count verified by that means. Besides, Eltoque It located more than 60 gas stations that sell fuel in dollars.
The new count contradicts an official promise made in January 2025 by a representative of the Caribbean and Cimex state chains, who assured that dollars in dollars would not exceed 7% of the total premises – equivalent to about 130 markets. In March 2025, the authorities They announced that would be more than 200 stores in dollars, a goal that appears today.
For the Observatory of Coins and Finance (OMFI), the expansion of these businesses is inserted in a context of accelerated dollarization and devaluation of the weight. When The dollar exceeded the 400 cup barrier in the informal marketthe OMFI warned that the increase in currencies and the reduction of spaces to acquire basic goods pressed down the national currency.
“The slightest interest in having and buying freely convertible currency (MLC) and Cuban weights makes its demand in the informal exchange market, which influences to continue depreciating,” explained Pável Vidal Alejandro, Doctor of Economic Sciences and main researcher at OMFI.
According to the analysis disseminated by the Observatory, the increase in foreign currencies hinders families access to dollarized markets, especially for those who depend solely on wages in pesos.
Eltoque He describes that, in numerous cases, the transition to the dollar scheme is suddenly produced: the unexpected closure of a trade – with or without warning at the door – usually precedes its reopening as a dollarized establishment. Sometimes the same assortments are maintained with new price labels in dollars; In others, the products come from neighboring stores operating in MLC, according to testimonies collected by that means.
Far from being small or freshly open premises, Eltoque He found that many conversions have occurred in some of the largest establishments in the provincial capitals and in Havana. Payment at these points of sale is limited to cash and international and national cards: classic, AIS and tropical of the Bank of Credit and Commerce (Bandec).
Although the Government tends to blame external actors for the rise in prices and the constant depreciation of the Cuban weight, the evidence suggests that the expansion of the dollarized markets and the restriction of options to buy with national currency is affecting the access of citizens to the essential goods.
