Foreign Exchange Rates – Table of Contents

GUIDE: Best Exchange Rate Offers and Guide

1. 1. Get the best exchange rates for bank to bank transfers
   2. The Official Exchange Rate Vs. The Sell/Buy Rate
   3. Realistic rate expectations and benchmarks
   4. Tips and additional information

Today’s Official Interbank Exchange Rates

1. 1. From Pound Sterling to Other Currencies
      1. Common pairings (EUR, USD, AUD…)
      2. To Exotic Currencies (HKD, ILS, BRL…)
   2. From Euro to Other Currencies
      1. Common pairings (GBP, USD, AUD…)
      2. To Exotic Currencies (HKD, ILS, BRL…)
   3. From US Dollar to Other Currencies
      1. Common pairings (EUR, GBP, AUD…)
      2. To Exotic Currencies (HKD, ILS, BRL…)
   4. From Australian Dollar to Other Currencies
      1. Common pairings (EUR, USD, GBP…)
      2. To Exotic Currencies (HKD, ILS, BRL…)

Forecast for Pound Sterling

1. 1. GBP vs Euro
   2. GBP vs US Dollar
   3. Additional resources

Best Exchange Rates for International Bank Transfers:

WorldFirst‘s new pricing initiative, starting from August 2019 and effective in 2020 is as follows:

• – FX rates of 0.15% to 0.5% less than the inter-bank currency rate, for ALL CURRENCIES.
• – No wire fees.
• – No hidden fees, and absolute clarify on what you’re paying in fees.
• – WorldFirst handles international bank to bank transfers exclusively.

Current FX rates by WorldFirst (estimated)

* WorldFirst’s Best Exchange Rate is 0.15% spread reserved for businesses and individuals transferring more than £5m annually.

** WorldFirst’s Min. Rate represents a 0.5% spread for individuals who need to transfer less than £500,000 annually. For businesses and individuals transferring between £500,000 and £5m, a spread of 0.25% will be applied.

*** The interbank exchange rates today presented here as well as WorldFirst’s exchange rates are estimated. We rely on external software to get those rates, and hence, errors could occur. Before exchanging any funds be sure to check for the official exchange rate, as well as attaining get a current quote from the provider you intend to use (WorldFirst or otherwise).

More about WorldFirst

WorldFirst is a veteran money transfer company, owned by the massive payment company AliPay, which has  consistently ranked amongst our top 3 most recommended companies on Money Transfer Comparison since the site’s inception in 2014. The firm boasts 5 office locations across the globe, employing more than 600 people, and is the recipient of many prestigious industry awards such as the Sunday Times FastTrack Top 10 and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

WorldFirst is considered by our staff as the company  providing the best foreign exchange rates for bank transfers of all sizes above its minimum requirement of £1,000.

WorldFirst accepts clients from regions such as the UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and many more but does not accept American clients. If you are seeking USA money transfer companies offering the best exchange rates check out OFX or Transferwise.

An example using the live foreign exchange rate:

The current exchange rate for Pound in Australian Dollars is 1.8871 AUD, and you need to transfer abroad an amount of £100,000 to Australian Dollars. Your bank’s spread is 2% so you’ll end up with 184,937.6877 AUD after the exchange.

It means the spread fee you paid in practice (whether they’d like to call this a fee or not!) is £2,000 or 3,774.2385 AUD.

Back to Table of Contents

Common Currency Pairs – From GBP

Current Pound to Euro Rate:

• 1 Pound is €1.1709 EUR
• 10,000 Pound are €11,708.6219 EUR 

Current  Pound to US Dollars Rate:

• 1 Pound is $1.2994 USD
• 10,000 Pounds are $12,993.9149 USD 

Current  Pound to Australian Dollars Rate:

• 1 Pound is A$1.8871 AUD
• 10,000 Pounds are A$18,871.1926 AUD

Current  Pound to Japanese Yen Rate: 1 Pound is

• ¥143.1696 JPY
• 10,000 Pounds are ¥1,431,695.5370 JPY

Current  Pound to South African Rand Rate: 1 Pound is

• R18.7856 ZAR
• 10,000 Pounds are R187,855.6272 ZAR

Current  Pound to New Zealand Dollar Rate:

• 1 Pound is $1.9625 NZD
• 10,000 Pounds are $19,625.3594 NZD

Less Common Currencies Pairings – From GBP

• Pound to Canadian Dollar Rate: 1 Pound is $1.6975 CAD.
• Pound to Israeli New Shekel Rate: 1 Pound is ₪4.4889 ILS.
• Pound to Hong Kong Dollar Rate: 1 Pound is $10.0922 HKD.
• Pound to United Arab Emirates Dirham Rate: 1 Pound is 4.7729 AED.
• Pound to Brazilian Real Rate: 1 Pound is R$5.4064 BRL.
• Pound to Argentine Peso Rate: 1 Pound is $77.9237 ARS.
• Pound to Mexican Peso Rate: 1 Pound is $24.2425 MXN.
• Pound to Chinese Yuan Rate: 1 Pound is ¥8.8913 CNY.
• Pound to Indian Rupee Rate: 1 Pound is R92.2672 INR.

Common Currency Pairs – From EUR

Current Euro to Pound Rate:

• 1 Euro is £0.8541 GBP
• 10,000 Euro are £8,540.7148 GBP

Current Euro to US Dollars Rate:

• 1 Euro is $1.1098 USD
• 10,000 Euros are $11,097.7322 USD

Current Euro to Australian Dollars Rate: 1 Euro is

• A$1.6117 AUD
• 10,000 Euros are A$16,117.3474 AUD

Current Euro to Japanese Yen Rate:

• 1 Euro is ¥122.2770 JPY
• 10,000 Euros are ¥1,222,770.3269 JPY

Current Euro to South African Rand Rate:

• 1 Euro is R16.0442 ZAR
• 10,000 Euros are R160,442.1336 ZAR

Current Euro to New Zealand Dollar Rate:

• 1 Euro is $1.6761 NZD
• 10,000 Euros are $16,761.4598 NZD

Less Common Pairings – From Euro

• Euro to Canadian Dollar Rate: 1 Euro is $1.4498 CAD.
• Euro to Israeli New Shekel Rate: 1 Euro is ₪3.8339 ILS.
• Euro to Hong Kong Dollar Rate: 1 Euro is $8.6194 HKD.
• Euro to United Arab Emirates Dirham Rate: 1 Euro is 4.0764 AED.
• Euro to Brazilian Real Rate: 1 Euro is R$4.6174 BRL.
• Euro to Argentine Peso Rate: 1 Euro is $66.5524 ARS.
• Euro to Mexican Peso Rate: 1 Euro is $20.7048 MXN.
• Euro to Chinese Yuan Rate: 1 Euro is ¥7.5938 CNY.
• Euro to Indian Rupee Rate: 1 Euro is R78.8028 INR.

Common Currency Pairs – From USD

Current US Dollar to Euro Rate:

• 1 US Dollar is €0.9011 EUR
• 10,000 US Dollar are €9,010.8500 EUR

Current US Dollar to Pound Rate:

• 1 US Dollar is £0.7696 GBP
• 10,000 US Dollars are £7,695.9100 GBP

Current US Dollar to Australian Dollars Rate:

• 1 US Dollar is A$1.4523 AUD
• 10,000 US Dollars are A$14,523.1000 AUD

Current US Dollar to Japanese Yen Rate:

• 1 US Dollar is ¥110.1820 JPY
• 10,000 US Dollars are ¥1,101,820.0000 JPY

Current US Dollar to South African Rand Rate:

• 1 US Dollar is R14.4572 ZAR
• 10,000 US Dollars are R144,572.0000 ZAR

Current US Dollar to New Zealand Dollar Rate:

• 1 US Dollar is $1.5104 NZD
• 10,000 US Dollars are $15,103.5000 NZD

Less Common Pairings – From USD

• US Dollar to Canadian Dollar Rate: 1 US Dollar is €1.3064 CAD.
• US Dollar to Israeli New Shekel Rate: 1 US Dollar is ₪3.4546 ILS.
• US Dollar to Hong Kong Dollar Rate: 1 US Dollar is $7.7669 HKD.
• US Dollar to United Arab Emirates Dirham Rate: 1 US Dollar is 3.6732 AED.
• US Dollar to Brazilian Real Rate: 1 US Dollar is R$4.1607 BRL.
• US Dollar to Argentine Peso Rate: 1 US Dollar is $59.9694 ARS.
• US Dollar to Mexican Peso Rate: 1 US Dollar is $18.6568 MXN.
• US Dollar to Chinese Yuan Rate: 1 US Dollar is ¥6.8427 CNY.
• US Dollar to Indian Rupee Rate: 1 US Dollar is R71.0080 INR

Common Currency Pairs – From AUD

Current Australian Dollar to Euro Rate:

• 1 Australian Dollar is €0.6204 EUR
• 10,000 Australian Dollar are €6,204.4949 EUR

Current Australian Dollar to Pound Rate:

• 1 Australian Dollar is £0.5299 GBP
• 10,000 Australian Dollars are £5,299.0822 GBP

Current Australian Dollar to US Dollar Rate:

• 1 Australian Dollar is$0.6886 USD
• 10,000 Australian Dollars are $6,885.5823 USD

Current Australian Dollar to Japanese Yen Rate:

• 1 Australian Dollar is ¥75.8667 JPY
• 10,000 Australian Dollars are ¥758,667.2267 JPY

Current Australian Dollar to South African Rand Rate:

• 1 Australian Dollar is R9.9546 ZAR
• 10,000 Australian Dollars are R99,546.2401 ZAR

Current Australian Dollar to New Zealand Dollar Rate:

• 1 Australian Dollar is $1.0400 NZD
• 10,000 Australian Dollars are $10,399.6392 NZD

Less Common Pairings – From AUD

• Australian Dollar to Canadian Dollar Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is €0.8995 CAD.
• Australian Dollar to Israeli New Shekel Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is ₪2.3787 ILS.
• Australian Dollar to Hong Kong Dollar Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is $5.3479 HKD.
• Australian Dollar to United Arab Emirates Dirham Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is 2.5292 AED.
• Australian Dollar to Brazilian Real Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is R$2.8649 BRL.
• Australian Dollar to Argentine Peso Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is $41.2924 ARS.
• Australian Dollar to Mexican Peso Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is $12.8463 MXN.
• Australian Dollar to Chinese Yuan Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is ¥4.7116 CNY.
• Australian Dollar to Indian Rupee Rate: 1 Australian Dollar is R48.8931 INR

Current Pound Vs Euro Rate:

If you want to conduct a spot FX transaction these are the current GBPEUR rates

2019 Onwards – Brexit Impasse and UK political uncertainty

The pound started steady in 2019 as the market maintained hope the brexit withdrawal agreement could be passed. Theresa May taking this for a vote in the House of Commons no less than three times, hoping that with its new found support from the DUP it could be pushed through. But with a number of conservatives voting against the government they couldn’t get close to the required majority. By historical standards some of the foundations of the UK economy appeared strong too, unemployment was below 4% and Q1 GDP was at 0.5%. This however slowed to 0.2% in Q2 and unemployment is reported to have risen throughout the year. 

In the hope it would help to push through a withdrawal agreement, Theresa May resigned and Boris Johnson was elected as the new prime minister. However with this only increasing the chances of a no deal GBP hit new lows against EUR, not seen since the end of the financial crisis in 2009. Taking the GBPEUR rate as low as 1.07.

After fresh lows in August 2019, the pound began to recover as parliament continued to search for ways to block a no deal brexit and the government increased its negotiations with the EU, seeking to reach a new withdrawal agreement that would replace the Irish backstop.  In October GBPEUR sat around the 1.15 level and continued on an upward trend throughout the year, peaking at a 3 year high of 1.207 after the December General Election. Shaking up the House of Commons and providing the conservatives with an overwhelming majority in Parliament. Gains however retreating back to mid 1.17 as concerns remain high for a no deal outcome at the end of 2020. 

Jan 2 2017 – 2019: Euro recovery

Overall Sterling sentiment continued to weaken in 2017 with the UK government’s inability to secure a majority in the General Election increasing fears of instability and also making it even more difficult to secure a satisfactory outcome to the Brexit negotiations. In 2018, the GBPEUR stayed within the range of 1.10-1.15. The closer it got to the end of the year, the lower the rate was based on concern of a “no deal Brexit” leaving the UK economy volatile and vulnerable. There was a slight recovery in November 2018 based on rumors the EU and the UK reached an agreement.. 

Selling pressure on Sterling was intensified by a strong Euro recovery as stronger growth rates triggered expectations of an ECB move to tighten monetary policy.

June 23rd 2016 – 2017: Brexit represents another UK shock

The relative balance of forces changed substantially following the June 23rd UK referendum on whether to remain in the EU.

There had been very limited expectations that the UK could vote to exit the EU and the leave result triggered a substantial market shock.

There were increased fears surrounding the long-term UK outlook with concerns that underlying growth rates would be substantially weaker over the medium term.

The Bank of England also cut interest rates once again to 0.25% which undermined Sterling confidence. The inconclusive June 2017 election increased fears over political instability and there were expectations of difficult negotiations with the EU.

2014 – June 22nd 2016: Euro weakness dominates

During this period, there were further concerns surrounding the Euro-zone outlook as governments and the ECB were unable to find a permanent solution to the crisis.  The debt crisis continued to flare-up with another bailout for Greece while the Euro was trapped in permanent low growth with further speculation that the Euro would break up.

As confidence in the Euro-zone and Euro continued to weaken, ECB President Draghi announced that he would do whatever it takes to protect the Euro. Draghi was successful in preventing a break-up of the Euro area.

The ECB, however, was forced to cut interest rates very aggressively in an attempt to meet its inflation target and ease financial tensions. The move to zero interest rates and a negative deposit rate, together with the quantitative easing programme, pushed the Euro sharply lower against all major currencies. Sterling was, therefore, able to make headway as EUR/GBP retreated to the 0.7000 area despite very low UK interest rates.   

2011 – 2014: UK recovery, Euro-zone crisis

The UK economy gradually emerged from recession with a return to growth and there was a steady recovery in the banking sector.

At the same time as a gradual UK recovery, confidence in the Euro-zone outlook deteriorated sharply.

The Euro-zone had been pushed into recession during the global banking crisis and, although fears surrounding the banking sector were slower to emerge, fears escalated during this period.

The Greek debt crisis also emerged for the first time in 2010 with the Euro-zone members effectively forced to bailout Greece in order to prevent a serious collapse within the Euro-zone banking sector.

Governments found it very difficult to control the debt crisis and the Euro-zone as a whole lurched from crisis to crisis with persistent fears over a sovereign debt crisis.

The tables were, therefore, turned in global currency markets with the Euro under sustained selling pressure while there was a net recovery in Sterling with EUR/GBP declining to the 0.8000 area. 

2008 – 2011: global financial crisis, UK banks badly damaged

The first real evidence of the great financial crisis emerged in August 2017 with redemptions halted in two property funds.

The immediate UK impact was limited, but stresses quickly emerged in the money markets as wholesale lending started to seize up. Given that there had been an increased dependence on money-market lending by UK financial institutions, confidence in the sector quickly declined and financial difficulties emerged.

The initial focus was on Northern Rock which requested government support in November 2017. The crisis intensified rapidly in early 2008 with Northern Rock nationalised. The UK suffered a wider banking-sector crisis as Lloyds Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland required government support to avoid collapse.

The banking crisis was an important factor in pushing the UK economy into a deep recession and the Bank of England was forced to cut interest rates very aggressively to stabilise financial conditions.

Although the banking crisis was a global feature, the UK banking crisis was a key factor in triggering heavy selling pressure on Sterling as EUR/GBP peaked at record highs around 0.9800.

2003 – 2007: the great moderation, false UK optimism

At the time, the period between 2003 and 2008 was marked by an optimistic period for the UK economy. Under the Blair government, government finances were boosted by strength in tax revenue and deficits appeared to be under control in historic terms.

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee remained successful in controlling inflation which held close to the 2% target and there were no serious concerns surrounding the balance of payments. Overall GDP growth also maintained a firm tone which helped underpin Sterling sentiment.

With hindsight, the macro-economic policy framework was building up excessive debt amid lax regulation and compounded by excessive global debt expansion, although these concerns were relatively limited at the time.

Jan 1st 1999 – 2003: Euro teething troubles

The Bank of England was granted independence to set interest rates following the 1997 general election and by the time of the Euro’s introduction in 1999, the framework was well established.

The Euro was unable to make headway following its 1999 launch and the single currency weakened sharply to lows below 0.8500 against the dollar in 2000 with an underlying lack of confidence in cohesion for the new currency. EUR/GBP hit a low below 0.5700 in early 2000.

Current GBP Rates (GBPUSD):

If you want to conduct a spot FX transaction these are the current GBP/USD rates

August 2019 Onwards: Slight recovery for Sterling

The US is currently growing at an annualised 2%, lower than its 3.1% target.   Despite this the fed held rates in their latest December meeting, keeping the rate between 1.5-1.75%. None of the policy makers are expecting to set rates below 1.5% until at least the end of 2022, and only if the economy is really slowing.

News of a new withdrawal agreement for the UK  temporarily pushed sterling higher in October, gaining  value against the dollar to recover from all time lows. GBPUSD pipped 1.30 before levelling out to around 1.28 towards the end of October. But ended the year stronger, fluctuating between 1.30-1.35 throughout December 2019.

April 2018 to August 2019: Sterling slips back to lows

The US dollar gained significantly against all currencies throughout 2018 because of four rate hikes by the Fed. And generally maintained its strength throughout 2019 despite two interest rate cuts. Of the four rate hikes in 2018, whilst the first one did not hit the market by surprise, the September and December rate hikes made the market understand the no-interest era was gone in the US. The fed then came under heavy pressure from Donald Trump in 2019 to slash interest rates in a complete change of policy to boost consumer spending.

But whilst the fed did lower rates at two points, taking base rates to within 1.75-2%, it didn’t cut rates anywhere near as much as Trump desired. In addition to this, the pound had been showing signs of weakness based on Brexit – the closer the date was ticking to March 2019, when the UK was originally set to leave the EU whether there was an agreement in place or not, the higher the levels of concern and panic. Prime Minister Theresa May demonstrated a lack of support for her actions and the deal she reached with the EU was rejected by parliament multiple times., Eventually ending in Theresa May’s resignation in order to make progress on the issue of Brexit.

January 16th 2017 until April 2018:  Sterling recovers from 30-year lows

Sterling dipped to 31-year lows just below 1.2000 in January before recovering some ground as the economy regained momentum. Sentiment, however, weakened again from June following the UK General Election. The government’s inability to secure a majority increased fears of instability with fears that Brexit negotiations would become even more difficult given UK weakness.

Sterling selling was intensified by a strong Euro recovery as stronger growth rates triggered expectations of an ECB move to tighten monetary policy while UK rates remain at record lows.

The dollar spiked higher following the unexpected election of US President Trump amid expectations of aggressive tax cuts which would tend to strengthen growth and potentially trigger a faster pace of Fed tightening. Confidence in Trump and the reform agenda faded rapidly and allowed GBP/USD to stabilise around 1.30 as the dollar came under sustained pressure.

June 23rd 2016 – January 15th 2017: Brexit shock triggers Sterling slump

The June 23rd UK referendum on whether to remain in the EU was an important shock to global markets, especially as there had been strong expectations that late momentum would be more likely to favour the remain side.

Fears surrounding the long-term UK outlook increased with expectations that underlying growth trends would be weaker and longer-term deterioration in the economic performance.

The Bank of England also cut interest rates once again to a record low of 0.25% which undermined Sterling confidence. Selling culminated in a flash crash in early October with GBP/USD losing over 5% in a matter of minutes before recovering ground.  

July 2014 – June 22nd 2016: Dollar strength dominates

During this period, there were fluctuations in Sterling confidence with volatility, for example, surrounding the Scottish independence referendum.

The UK economy was relatively stable with solid underlying growth. The Bank of England, however, was unable to find a reason to raise interest rates and Sterling lost ground.

The main focus was on the dollar which appreciated sharply from July 2014. The Federal Reserve moved to end the quantitative easing programme with bond buying completed in October 2014.

Crucially, the Federal Reserve was the only major central bank which was tightening monetary policy. The ECB was cutting interest rates amid fears surrounding deflation while the Bank of Japan maintained a very aggressive easing. In this environment, the dollar gained firm support with strong gains over the second half of 2014, although Sterling also maintained a generally robust tone.

November 2010 – 2014: US and UK recovery, relative calm

Following the financial crisis, the US and UK economies gradually recovered ground during the 2011-2014 period.

The Federal Reserve was still very uneasy surrounding the pace of recovery and the quantitative easing programme continued. The Fed announced a second round of bond purchases with purchases of government bonds of $75bn per month with total purchases of $600bn.

The Fed also announced a policy to keep long-term interest rates lower and there was a third round of government bond purchases between September 2012 and December 2013.

The expansionary Fed policy was important in restraining dollar support, although the Bank of England also maintained interest rates at extremely low levels of 0.50% which limited the potential for Sterling gains.  Overall, the UK currency eventually advanced to the 1.70 area before fading.

2008 – November 2010: global financial crisis, dollar gains by default

The first real evidence of the great financial crisis emerged in August 2007 with redemptions halted in two property funds.

Stresses quickly emerged in the money markets as wholesale lending started to seize up which put pressure on UK financial institutions.

The crisis intensified rapidly in early 2008 with Northern Rock nationalised while Lloyds Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland both required government support to avoid collapse.

The banking crisis was an important factor in pushing the UK economy into a deep recession and the Bank of England was forced to cut interest rates very aggressively to stabilise financial conditions.

The US economy also suffered a deep recession and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Bank was a crucial factor in intensifying the global crisis.

In times of financial turmoil, however, there tends to be demand for US Treasuries and the dollar on defensive grounds and there were capital inflows into the US currency. An important feature was very high volatility across all asset classes.

The combination of dollar recovery and heavy Sterling losses triggered a massive GBP/USD decline to below 1.40 from near 2.00.

July 2001 – March 2008: the great dollar slide

The dollar index peaked just above the 121.0 level in July 2001 before embarking on a prolonged slide over the next 3 years with the dollar index dipping to lows near the 80.0 level.

The US currency initially came under pressure in the face of interest rate cuts and a slide towards recession. The Federal Reserve continued to cut interest rates as the economy moved into recession and rates eventually declined to lows of 1.0% in 2003.

The US currency continued to be undermined by a loose monetary policy over the next 3 years. In contrast, there was increased optimism surrounding the UK outlook as hype surrounding the Blair government hit a peak which boosted Sterling support.

GBP/USD broke above 1.90 during 2004 and, although there was a retreat to the 1.70 area in 2005, the UK currency regained ground and rallied to above the key 2.000 level in 2007 as the dollar index hit a low of below 74.0 in early 2008.

Jan 1st 1999 – Jan1st 2002: Dollar in charge

The Federal Reserve tightened monetary policy during 1999 and rates peaked at 6.5% in July 2000 from 4.5% at the beginning of 1999.

Although there were significant fluctuations in UK interest rates, there were only limited net changes as US policy dominated. GBP/USD declined to lows just below 1.3700 in June 2001.