From repeating itself so much, that dollar and the euro rise in the Cuban informal market is no longer news. Its upward trend seems to have no ceiling in the midst of the deep economic crisis that the island is suffering, and it also drags other currencies such as the pound sterling with it.
In four days the US currency has increased its value by 10 pesos and this Monday morning it was trading at 475 pesos (CUP), according to the independent media The Touchused as a reference by currency buyers and sellers.
This is a new maximum limit for the dollar in Cuba, already located above the moderate scenario predicted by analysts for the end of October. In an “extreme” scenariothe forecast of economists like Pavel Vidal places it at around 500 pesos.
Above that barrier, the euro continues to strengthen, after climbing in the last few hours to 530 CUP. With this, its value increased five pesos compared to yesterday and, with 55 pesos ahead of the dollar, it was confirmed as the most valuable currency in Cuba.
Update of informal currency market rates in Cuba
Date: 10/20/2025Image 1: Representative rate of the informal market (elTOQUE)
EUR: 530.00 CUP
USD: 475.00 CUP
MLC: 200.00 CUPThere are offers in the ranges:
EUR: from 415.00 to 550.00 CUP
USD: from 400.00 to 525.00 CUP
MLC:… pic.twitter.com/jhW0Gwwk4X— The Touch (@eltoquecom) October 20, 2025
The pound sterling, the MLC…
Above the US currency is also the British pound sterling, whose value in the Cuban informal market already exceeds 488 pesos. This, despite the fact that its demand is logically lower on the island than that of the dollar and the euro, and contrary to the fact that internationally it is priced above the other two.
The Canadian dollar and the Brazilian real also experienced increases in recent hours in Cuba, while the Mexican peso fell and the MLC remains stable at 200 pesos, its value in recent days according to the exchange rate. The Touchcalculated from the purchase and sale offers on digital platforms.
The current trend of the informal market on the island, with the main foreign currencies rising, occurs in the midst of a deepening of the prolonged socioeconomic crisis on the island, marked by the lack of basic products, high inflation, prolonged blackouts and a sustained wave of migration.
Added to this is, in addition, the Government’s commitment to dollarization, which has multiplied throughout the country the establishments and services in which payment is only accepted in cards backed in hard currencies, while the once stocked stores in MLC continue to decline.
All of the above happens while waiting for the entry into force of the new exchange market with a floating rate. As Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced in July before the National Assembly, it was to begin sometime in the second half of 2025, although two months before the end of the year there is still no clarity as to when or how it could be implemented.
