The guaraní (, plural: ''guaraníes'';

sign A sign is an object, quality, event, or entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm, or me ...

: ₲;

code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communicati ...

: PYG) is the national

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

unit of

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. The guaraní is divided into 100

céntimo The céntimo (in Spanish-speaking countries) or cêntimo (in Portuguese-speaking countries) was a currency unit of Spain, Portugal and their former colonies. The word derived from the Latin inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

, céntimos coins are no longer in use. The currency sign is ; if unavailable, "Gs." is used.

History

The law creating the guaraní was passed on 5 October 1943, and replaced the peso fuerte at a rate of ₲1 = 100 pesos fuertes. Guaraníes were first issued in 1944. Between 1960 and 1985, the guaraní was pegged to the

United States dollar The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

at ₲126 = US$1.

Revaluation plans

The guaraní is currently one of the least valued currency units in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, US$1 being equivalent as of June, 2024, to ₲7,520. In 2011, plans were released under which the Paraguayan guaraní would be revalued as the ''Nuevo guaraní'' ("New guaraní") (PYN) at the rate of 1,000:1. From day 1 there would be a conversion at the rate of ₲1,000 = N₲1 ("nuevo guaraní"). After a two-year transition period (with N₲ as the currency sign), new banknotes with the lower value would be introduced, re-using the name guaraní (₲) for the lower value. However, due to possible confusion and problems with the projects, it is currently suspended.

Coins

In 1944, aluminum-bronze coins were introduced in denominations of 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ and 50¢. All were round shaped. The obverses featured a flower with "Republica del Paraguay" and the date surrounding it, except for the 50¢, which featured the lion and Liberty cap insignia. The denomination was shown on the reverses. First series: The second issue, introduced in 1953, consisted of 10¢, 15¢, 25¢, and 50¢ coins. All were minted in aluminium-bronze again, but were scallop-shaped and featured the lion and Liberty cap on the obverse. Céntimo coins ceased to be legal tender in 1966, leaving Paraguay without any circulating coins for its currency. In 1975, coins were introduced in denominations of ₲1, ₲5, ₲10, and ₲50, all of which were round and made of

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

. Since 1990, stainless steel has been replaced by nickel-brass and/or brass-plated steel. ₲100 coins were introduced in 1990, followed by ₲500 in 1997. ₲1,000 coins were minted in 2006 and released in 2007. ₲1, ₲5, ₲10, ₲50, ₲100, and ₲500 coins minted before 2005 lost their legal tender status on 8 January 2014.

Banknotes

The first guaraní notes were of 50¢, ₲1, ₲5, and ₲10 overstamped on $P50, $P100, $P500, and $P1,000 in 1943. Regular guaraní notes for ₲1, ₲5, ₲10, ₲50, ₲100, ₲500 and ₲1,000, soon followed. They were printed by

De La Rue De La Rue plc (, ) is a British company headquartered in Basingstoke, England, that produces secure digital and physical protections for goods, trade, and identities in 140 countries. It sells to governments, central banks, and businesses. Its ...

. The 1963 series (under the law of 1952) was a complete redesign. The lineup also expanded upward with the addition of ₲5,000 and ₲10,000. The 1982 revision added denominations in the

Guaraní language Guarani (Avañe'ẽ), also called Paraguayan Guarani, is a language of South America that belongs to the Tupi–Guarani branch of the Tupian language family. It is one of the two official languages of Paraguay (along with Spanish), where i ...

to the reverses. The first ₲50,000 notes were issued in 1990, followed by ₲100,000 in 1998. Starting from 2004, the existing denominations, except ₲50,000, underwent small but easily noticeable changes, such as a more sophisticated and borderless underprint and enhanced security features.

Giesecke & Devrient Giesecke+Devrient GmbH (G+D) is a German international security technology company operating in the fields of Computer security, digital security, financial platforms, and currency technology. Founded in 1852, the company evolved from a manufactu ...

print the new ₲20,000 note, while

prints the rest. In 2009, the Central Bank launched the first ₲2,000 polymer-made notes, which makes the notes more durable than the traditional cotton-fiber notes. New ₲50,000 notes of series C have been printed with the date of 2005, but as they obviously reached circulation by criminal ways before being launched officially, this series has been declared void and worthless by the central bank and notes of ₲1,000 and series A and B of ₲50,000 were demonetized in 2012. A new ₲5,000 note has been released. The ₲5,000 was put into circulation on January 14, 2013. This note has been printed by The Canadian Bank Note Company. Such security features include a see through window in the shape of a locomotive, a watermark of the portrait. However this note will still bear the portrait of Don Carlos Antonio Lopez, the reverse will also have the same design of Lopez's Palace. ₲10,000 as well as ₲20,000 notes are produced by Polish Security Printing Works (). On December 22, 2016, new ₲20,000, ₲50,000 and ₲100,000 notes were introduced with upgraded security.

Exchange rates

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Paraguayan guaraní banknotes

Guarani currency exchange rate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paraguayan guarani Currencies of Paraguay Currencies introduced in 1944 Currency symbols Circulating currencies