Qatari riyal
| Qatari riyal | |
|---|---|
| ريال قطري (Arabic) | |
|
Banknotes of the Qatari riyal, issued by the Qatar Central Bank. | |
| ISO 4217 code | QAR |
| Central bank | Qatar Central Bank |
| Website |
www |
| User(s) |
 Qatar |
| Inflation | -2.8% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2011 est. |
| Pegged with | U.S. dollar = 3.64 riyal |
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | dirham |
| Symbol | QR or ر.ق |
| Coins | 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 dirhams |
| Banknotes | 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 riyals |
The riyal (Arabic: ريال riyāl; ISO 4217 code: QAR) 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).
History
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.[1] 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.[2] 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 The old notes continued to circulate in parallel for 90 days, at which time they were withdrawn. [3]
For a wider history surrounding currency in the region, see the history of British currency in the Middle East.
Coins
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. [4]
Banknotes
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.[5]
| Current Series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Main Colour | Description | ||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||
 |
 |
1 riyal | Grey | Coat of arms of Qatar | Native birds |
 |
 |
5 riyals | Green | National Museum, Native animals | |
 |
 |
10 riyals | Orange | Sand dunes | |
 |
 |
50 riyals | Pink | The Pearl Oyster Monument and a view of the Qatar Central Bank building | |
 |
 |
100 riyals | Green & Gold | Old Mosque and Al-Shaqab Institute | |
 |
 |
500 riyals | Blue | Falcon, with a view of the Amiri Diwan of Qatar which serves as the government building for the State of Qatar | |
Fixed exchange rate
The Qatari riyal is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed exchange rate of USD 1 = QAR 3.64. 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.
Article (1) states that the Qatari riyal exchange rate shall be pegged against the US dollar at 3.64, and sets upper and lower limits of QAR 3.6415 and QAR 3.6385 for the Qatar Central Bank's purchase and sale of dollars with banks operating in Qatar. Article (2) provides the Qatar Central Bank with the authority to determine the volume and the time of sale of US dollars and the associated conditions of such sales and payments. Article (3) cancels the earlier Royal Decree No.60 of 1975, by which the riyal was officially pegged to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs).[6][7][8]
| Current QAR exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From XE: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From TransferWise: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From fxtop.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From Currency.Wiki: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USDINR KRW |
Note: Rates obtained from these websites may contradict with pegged rate mentioned above
See also
References
- ↑ "Monetary System in Qatar Historical Background".
- ↑ The Bank Notes of the Qatar and Dubai Currency Board
- ↑ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Qatar & Dubai". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ↑ See these coins at
- ↑ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Qatar". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ↑ Qatar Central Bank: Instructions to Banks, Volume 1
- ↑ Exchange Rate Policy, Qatar Central Bank
- ↑ Tables of modern monetary history: Asia
External links
- The banknotes of Qatar (English) (German)
| Preceded by: Saudi riyal Reason: delivery of local currency Ratio: 1.065 Qatari and Dubai riyal = 1 Saudi riyal, or 1 Qatari and Dubai riyal = 1 pre-devalued Gulf rupee |
Currency of Qatar 1966 – 1973 |
Succeeded by: Qatari riyal Reason: withdrawal of Dubai from common currency Ratio: at par |
| Currency of Trucial States except for Abu Dhabi 1966 – 1973 |
Succeeded by: United Arab Emirates dirham Reason: formed United Arab Emirates (in 1971) Ratio: at par | |
| Preceded by: Qatari and Dubai riyal Reason: withdrawal of Dubai from common currency Ratio: at par |
Currency of Qatar 1973 – |
Succeeded by: Current |