Qatari riyal
| Qatari riyal | |
|---|---|
| ريال قطري (Arabic) | |
| ISO 4217 | |
| Code | QAR |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | dirham |
| Symbol | QR or ر.ق |
| Banknotes | 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 riyals |
| Coins | 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 dirhams |
| Demographics | |
| User(s) |
 Qatar
|
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Qatar Central Bank |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | -2.8% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2011 est. |
| Pegged with |
U.S. dollar (USD) $1 USD = 3.64 QR |
The riyal is the currency of the State of Qatar. It is divided into 100 dirhams (Arabic: درهم) and is abbreviated as either QR (English) or ر.ق (Arabic).
Until 1966, Qatar used the Indian rupee as currency, in the form of Gulf rupees. When India devalued the rupee in 1966, Qatar, along with the other states using the Gulf rupee, chose to introduce its own currency. Before doing so, Qatar briefly adopted the Saudi riyal, then introduced the Qatar and Dubai riyal which was the result of signing the Qatar-Dubai Currency Agreement on 21 March 1966. The Saudi riyal was worth 1.065 rupees, whilst the Qatar and Dubai riyal was equal to the rupee prior to its devaluation.
Following Dubai's entrance into the United Arab Emirates, Qatar began issuing the Qatari riyal separate from Dubai on 19 May 1973. The old notes continued to circulate in parallel for 90 days, at which time they were withdrawn.
For a wider history surrounding currency in the region, see the history of British currency in the Middle East.
In 1966, coins were introduced in the name of Qatar and Dubai for 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 dirham. In 1973, a new series of coins was introduced in the same sizes and compositions as the earlier pieces but in the name of Qatar only.
On September 18, 1966, the Qatar & Dubai Currency Board introduced notes for 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 riyals. These were replaced on 19 May 1973 by notes of the Qatar Monetary Agency in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 100, and 500 riyals; a 50-riyal note was issued in 1976. The Qatar Central Bank was established by decree 15 on 5 August 1973. All coins and notes issued by the Qatar Monetary Agency became the property of the bank but continued to circulate for several years.
The Qatari riyal is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed exchange rate of $1 USD = 3.64 QR. This rate was enshrined into Qatari law by Royal Decree No.34 of 2001, signed by Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, on 9 July 2001.
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