What do you think, which currency is the most expensive in the world today?
Most believe that the British pound is the highest currency; however, as it turned out it is not. Especially, for blog readers, we compiled the list of the strongest world currencies (Dated 13 Jan 2019).
By the way, we also have the TOP 10 of the weakest world currencies.
No. 1 – Kuwaiti Dinar (1 KWD = 3.29 USD)
Currency code – KWD
1 KWD = 3.29 USD
The Kuwaiti Dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency against the US Dollar.
Kuwait is a small country with enormous wealth. The high value (rate) of its currency is explained by significant oil exports into the global market.
No. 2 – Bahraini Dinar (2.65 USD)
Currency code – BHD
1 BHD = 2.65 USD (pegged to dollar)
The Bahrain Dinar is the second most valuable currency.
Bahrain is a Persian Gulf island state with a population of just over 1 million people. As in the first case, this country’s largest source of income are the «black gold» exports.
It is interesting that the Bahrain Dinar is pegged to US Dollar exchange rate, and its rate against the US Dollar has remained stable since 2005 already.
No. 3 – Oman Rial (2.60 USD)
Currency code – OMR
1 OMR = 2.60 USD (pegged to dollar)
Oman is a country on the Arabian Peninsula. Thanks to its strategic location, it possesses a developed economy and a high quality of life.
The Oman Rial is also pegged to US Dollar as Bahrain Dinar.
It is remarkable that purchasing power of this currency is so high that the government had to issue 1/4 and 1/2 Rial banknotes. On the picture above, you can see 1/2 Rial (Half Rial).
No. 4 – Jordan Dinar (1.41 USD)
Currency code – JOD
1 JOD = 1.41 USD (pegged to dollar)
It is hard to explain the high value of Jordan Dinar. This country is not economically developed and it lacks essential resources, such as oil.
Nevertheless, one Jordan Dinar costs 1.41 US Dollar, what makes it one of 10 the strongest world currencies.
No. 5 – British Pound Sterling (1.26 USD)
Currency code – GBP
1 GBP = 1.26 USD
Most people think that British Pound is the strongest world currency, but it only closes the top five of this list.
British Colonies issue their own banknotes, which visually differ from banknotes issued by the Bank of England, but they are valued as 1 per 1.
Therefore, there are several of them: Scottish, North Ireland, Manx, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar Pounds, as well as St. Elena Island Pound and Falkland Islands Pound.
Amusingly, native Britons do not always want to accept «other» Pounds as a means of payment.
No. 6 – Cayman Islands Dollar (1.20 USD)
Currency code – KYD
1 KYD = 1.20 USD (pegged to dollar)
Cayman Islands is one of the world’s best tax havens. These islands provided licences for hundreds of banks, hedge funds and insurance companies.
Thanks to its leadership among tax havens, Cayman Islands Dollar costs near 1.22 US Dollar.
No. 7 – European Euro (1.14 USD)
Currency Code – EUR
1 EUR = 1.14 USD
The euro currency has strengthened over the past few years. This allowed it to raise the list of the most powerful currencies. Partially, its strength is explained by the fact that it is the official world currency in European countries among which you will find several economically developed countries.
Besides, Euro is the second reserve world currency enveloping 22.2% of all world savings (US Dollar has 62.3%).
No. 8 – Swiss Franc (1.04 USD)
Currency code – CHF
1 CHF = 1.04 USD
Switzerland is not only one of the richest countries in the world, but it is also one of the most stable. Its banking system had long been known for its formerly resolute «Bank Secrecy».
Besides, its high-tech goods are very well known all around the globe.
Pay attention when you see an original of this banknote. This is the only banknote I saw which has the vertical view.
No. 9 – US Dollar
Currency code – USD
1 USD = 1.00 USD
Owing to USA world economic leadership, its currency achieved such a title as «World Reserve Currency». In other words, you can make dollar payments everywhere (in any country).
No. 10 – Canadian dollar (0.75 USD)
Out of TEN
Due to the dynamically changing economic and political situation in the world, it is hard for some currencies to remain in this ranking, so here is the list of currencies that left the top ten of previous periods.
Australian dollar
Currency code – AUD
1 AUD = 0.73 USD
An interesting fact is that the new series of Australia banknotes, as pictured above, would have a tactile feature (Braille) to help the visually impaired community to tell the value of the banknote.
Also in Australia, the fight against cash is conducted by reducing the share of cash payments when making small retail purchases.
Libyan Dinar
Currency code – LYD
1 LYD = 0.72 USD
The Libyan Dinar has token money called Dirham. It is interesting that one Dinar is equal to 1,000 Dirham, and not 100, as we all used to think.
Azerbaijani manat
Currency code – AZN
1 AZN = 0.59 USD
It was a surprise to see Azerbaijani manat in this list. However, the currency of this Central Asian country is a little bit weaker than US Dollar.
The economy of this country is surprisingly strong, and its unemployment rate is low.
