Cuban Peso - History

History

Before 1857, Spanish and Spanish colonial reales circulated in Cuba. From 1857, banknotes were issued specifically for use on Cuba. These were denominated in pesos, with 1 peso = 8 reales. From 1869, notes were also issued denominated in centavos, with 100 centavos = 1 peso. In 1881, the peso was pegged to the U.S. dollar at par. The currency continued to be issued only in paper form until 1915, when the first coins were issued.

In 1960, the peg to the dollar was replaced by one to the Soviet ruble. The peso lost value due to the United States embargo against Cuba and the suspension of the sugar quota. This suspension was the principal economical force driving Cuba to seek out a new economic partner, the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the peso lost much of its value and the exchange rate fell to 125 pesos to the US dollar. Recently, it has become more valuable, fluctuating between 23 and 25 pesos to the US dollar.

In 1993, during the period of economic austerity known as the Special Period, the US dollar was made legal tender to encourage hard currency to enter the economy. The US dollar became the currency used to purchase some non-essential goods and services, such as cosmetics, and even non-staple kinds of food and drink. In 1994, the convertible peso was introduced at a par with the dollar. On November 8, 2004, the Cuban government withdrew the US dollar from circulation, citing the need to retaliate against further US sanctions.