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Peruvian sol

Sol Peruano (Spanish)
2019 50 centimos coin
ISO 4217
Code	PEN (numeric: 604) before: PEH, PEI, PES
Subunit	0.01
Unit
Plural	soles
Symbol	S/‎
Denominations
Subunit
1⁄100	céntimo
Plural
céntimo	céntimos
Banknotes
Freq. used	S/10, S/20, S/50, S/100
Rarely used	S/200
Coins
Freq. used	10, 20, 50 céntimos, S/1, S/2, S/5
Rarely used	1, 5 céntimos (discontinued, still legal tender)
Demographics
Date of introduction	July 1, 1991
Replaced	Peruvian inti
User(s)	Peru
Issuance
Central bank	Central Reserve Bank of Peru
Website	www.bcrp.gob.pe
Printer	Perum Peruri
Website	www.peruri.co.id
Mint	National Mint (Casa Nacional de Moneda)
Valuation
Inflation	2.29%
Source	January 2014

The sol (Spanish pronunciation: [sol]; plural: soles; currency sign: S/) is the currency of Peru; it is subdivided into 100 céntimos ("cents"). The ISO 4217 currency code is PEN.

The sol replaced the Peruvian inti in 1991 and the name is a return to that of Peru's historic currency, as the previous incarnation of sol was in use from 1863 to 1985. Although sol in this usage is derived from the Latin solidus (lit. 'solid'), the word also means "sun" in Spanish. There is thus a continuity with the old Peruvian inti, which was named after Inti, the Sun God of the Incas.

At its introduction in 1991, the currency was officially called nuevo sol ("new sol"), but on November 13, 2015, the Peruvian Congress voted to rename the currency simply sol.

History

Currencies in use before the current Peruvian sol include:

• The Spanish colonial real from the 16th to 19th centuries, with 8 reales equal to 1 peso.
• The Peruvian real from 1822 to 1863. Initially worth 1⁄8 peso, reales worth 1⁄10 peso were introduced in 1858 in their transition to a decimal currency system.
• The sol or sol de oro from 1863 to 1985, at 1 sol = 10 reales.
• The inti from 1985 to 1991, at 1 inti = 1,000 soles de oro.

Due to the bad state of economy and hyperinflation in the late 1980s, the government was forced to abandon the inti and introduce the sol as the country's new currency. The new currency was put into use on July 1, 1991, by Law No. 25,295, to replace the inti at a rate of 1 sol to 1,000,000 intis, or one inti millón. Coins denominated in the new unit were introduced on October 1, 1991, and the first banknotes on November 13, 1991. Since that time, the sol has retained an inflation rate of 1.5%, the lowest ever in either South America or Latin America as a whole. Since the new currency was put into effect, it has managed to maintain an exchange rate between S/2.2 and S/4.13 per US dollar.

Coins

Coins were introduced in 1991 in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 céntimos and S/1. Coins for S/2 and S/5 were added in 1994. The one- and five-céntimo coins fell out of use and the one-céntimo was removed from circulation on May 1, 2011 followed by the five-céntimos on January 1, 2019. (For cash transactions retailers must round down to the nearest ten céntimos or up to the nearest five. Electronic transactions continue to be processed at the exact amount.)

All coins show the coat of arms of Peru surrounded by the text Banco Central de Reserva del Perú ("Central Reserve Bank of Peru") on the obverse; the reverse of each coin shows its denomination. Included in the designs of the bimetallic S/2 and S/5 coins are the hummingbird and condor figures from the Nazca Lines.

Banknotes for S/10, S/20, S/50, and S/100 were introduced in 1990. The banknote for S/200 was introduced in August 1995. All notes are of the same size (140 x 65 mm) and contain the portrait of a well-known historic Peruvian on the obverse.

A new series of banknotes was issued starting in 2021, beginning with the S/10 and S/100 notes in July 2021 and followed by the S/20 and S/50 notes in July 2022. A S/200 note was released in December 2023.

See also

• Numismatic series Wealth and Pride of Peru
• Numismatic series Natural Resources of Peru
• Economy of Peru
• Peruvian inti

References

1. "Peruri Cetak Uang Peru, Dibayar Rp255 Miliar". CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 23 March 2022.
2. "6 Percent GDP Growth And The Lowest Inflation Rate In Latin America: Peru In 2014". International Business Times. January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
3. "La moneda peruana tiene un nuevo símbolo: desde ayer es S/ no S/. según BCR". La Republica. January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
4. "Moneda peruana cambiará de nombre de "nuevo sol" a "sol"". El Comercio de Perú. November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
5. "Desde ayer la moneda peruana se llama "Sol"". El Comercio de Perú. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
6. San José State University Department of Economics, The economic history and the economy of Peru. Retrieved on July 11, 2007.
7. ^ (in Spanish) Law No. 25.295, Unidad Monetaria Nuevo Sol, January 3, 1991
8. (in Spanish) Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Inflation Report, May 2007, Central Reserve Bank of Peru Archived 2007-06-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 11, 2007
9. "Peru's nuevo sol is the most stable currency in region". Peru This Week. July 2, 2012. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
10. "MONEDAS DE 5 CÉNTIMOS DEJARÁN DE CIRCULAR DESDE EL 1 DE ENERO DE 2019" (PDF). Central Reserve Bank of Peru (in Spanish). October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
11. (in Spanish) Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Cono Monetario. Retrieved on July 14, 2007.
12. (in Spanish) Circular letter N°028-97-EF/90, August 26, 1997, Central Reserve Bank of Peru
13. (in Spanish) Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Familia de Billetes. Retrieved on July 14, 2007.
14. "Nuevo billete de S/ 10". Multimedia.bcrp.gob.pe. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
15. "Nuevo billete de S/ 100". Multimedia.bcrp.gob.pe. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
16. "ShieldSquare Captcha" (PDF). Bbcrp.gob.pe. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
17. RedacciónRPP (2023-12-15). "BCR pone en circulación billete de S/200 con nuevo diseño | RPP Noticias". rpp.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-15.

• Bruce, Colin R. II (senior editor) (2006). 2007 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901–2000 (34th ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 1463–1465. ISBN 0896893650. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
• Cuhaj, George S. (editor) (2005). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues 1961-Date (11th ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 659–661. ISBN 0-89689-160-7. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)

External links

• Banknotes and Coins from the Central Bank of Peru
• Historical banknotes of Peru (in English and German)
• Currency in Peru (in English and Spanish)

v t e Historical currencies of Peru
Superunit 16 = Escudo until 1863 10 = Inca 1881–1882 10 = Pound 1898–1931 Main unit Real until 1863 Sol de oro 1863–1985 Inti 1985–1991 Nuevo sol 1991–present Subunit 1⁄5 = Peseta 1880–1882

• Money
• Numismatics
• Peru
• South America

• Currencies with ISO 4217 code
• Economic history of Peru
• Currencies of Peru
• Currencies introduced in 1991
• Currency symbols
• Circulating currencies