Argentine peso | |
---|---|
Peso argentino (Spanish) | |
ISO 4217 | |
Code | ARS |
Denominations | |
Subunit | |
1/100 | centavo |
Symbol | $ |
Banknotes | 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 pesos |
Coins | 5, 10, 25, 50 centavos, 1 peso, 2 pesos |
Demographics | |
User(s) | Argentina |
Issuance | |
Central bank | Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina |
Website | www |
Valuation | |
Inflation | 26 % estimated (2015) |
Source |
Banco Ciudad and private consultants Official figures are substantially inferior. |
Banco Ciudad and private consultants
The peso (established as the peso convertible) is the currency of Argentina, identified by the symbol $ preceding the amount in the same way as many countries using dollar currencies. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. Its ISO 4217 code is ARS. Several earlier currencies of Argentina were also called "peso"; as inflation progressed a new currency with a few zeroes dropped and a different qualifier (peso national currency, peso law 18188, peso argentino...) was introduced. Since 1970, thirteen zeroes have been dropped (a factor of ten trillion).
The official exchange rate hovered around 3 pesos per United States dollar from 2002 to 2008, was around 4 pesos from 2009 to 2011, surpassed 6 pesos in November 2013, sat at 6.5 pesos per dollar during December 2013. As of October 2014, the exchange rate was about 8 pesos per dollar, by February 2015, it was 10 per US dollar, and by December of the same year, 13 pesos per US dollar, after a record of 14.
Amounts in earlier pesos were sometimes preceded by a "$" sign and sometimes, particularly in formal use, by symbols identifying that it was a specific currency, for example $m/n100 or m$n100 for pesos moneda nacional. The peso introduced in 1992 is just called peso (until 2002 peso convertible), and is written preceded by a "$" sign only. Earlier pesos replaced currencies also called peso, and sometimes two varieties of peso coexisted, making it necessary to have a distinguishing term to use, at least in the transitional period; the 1992 peso replaced a currency with a different name, austral.
The peso was a name often used for the silver Spanish eight-real coin. Following independence, Argentina began issuing its own coins, denominated in reales, soles and escudos, including silver eight-real (or sol) coins still known as pesos. These coins, together with those from neighbouring countries, circulated until 1881.
In 1826, two paper money issues began, denominated in pesos. One, the peso fuerte ($F) (ISO 4217: ARF) was a convertible currency, with 17 pesos fuertes equal to one Spanish ounce (27.0643 g) of 0.916 fine gold. It was replaced by the peso moneda nacional at par in 1881.