Franco suizo

El franco suizo ( alemán : Schweizer Franken , francés : franc suisse , italiano : franco svizzero y romanche : franc svizzer ; signo : Fr. (en alemán ), fr. (En francés , italiano , romanche ) o CHF en cualquier otro idioma, o internacionalmente; [1] código : CHF ) es la moneda y curso legalde Suiza y Liechtenstein . También es de curso legal en el enclave italiano de Campione d'Italia . [ cita requerida ] El Banco Nacional Suizo (SNB) emite billetes y la menta federal Swissmint emite monedas .

Franco suizo
CHF 1000 9 frente.jpgMonedas CHF.jpg
Billetes de bancoMonedas
ISO 4217
CódigoCHF
Número756
Exponente2
Denominaciones
Subunidad
 1 ⁄ 100
Plural
  Rappen   ( alemán ) centime   ( francés ) centesimo   ( italiano ) rap   ( romanche )
Símbolo
  • Alemán : Fr., Rp. [1] [2]
  • Francés : fr., C. [1] [3]
  • Italiano : fr., Ct. [1] [4]
  • Romanche : fr., Rp. [1]
  • Internacional (cualquier otro idioma): CHF [1] [5]
Apodo
  • Alemán de Suiza : Einräppler [nota 1] por una moneda de 1 céntimo; Füüferli [nota 1] por una moneda de 5 céntimos; Füfzgerli [nota 1] por una moneda de 50 céntimos; Stutz [nota 1] por una moneda de 1 franco ( en Stutz ), o cambio en general ( Stutz ); Füüfliiber [nota 1] por una moneda de 5 francos
  • Alemán estándar suizo : Einfränkler por una moneda de 1 franco; Zweifränkler por una moneda de 2 francos; Hunderter por un billete de 100 francos; Ameise por un billete de 1000 francos
  • fr : balle (s) por ≥ 1 franco; thune por una moneda de 5 francos
  • Italiano suizo :
Billetes de banco
 Frec. usó10 francos , 20 francos , 50 francos , 100 francos , 200 francos , 1000 francos
 Raramente usado500 francos
Monedas
 Frec. usó5 céntimos , 10 céntimos , 20 céntimos , 1 ⁄ 2 franco , 1 franco , 2 francos , 5 francos
Demografía
Usuario (s) oficial (es)
  •   Suiza
  •  Liechtenstein
  • Campione d'Italia, Italia [nota 2]
Usuario (s) no oficial (s) Büsingen am Hochrhein, Alemania [nota 3]
Emisión
Banco CentralBanco Nacional de Suiza
 Sitio webwww .snb .ch
ImpresoraOrell Füssli Arts Graphiques SA (Zúrich)
mentaSwissmint
 Sitio webwww .swissmint .ch
Valuación
Inflación0,4% en 2019
 FuenteStatistik Schweiz

La denominación más pequeña, una centésima de franco, es Rappen (Rp.) En alemán, céntimo (c.) En francés, centesimo (ct.) En italiano y rap (rp.) En romanche . El código ISO 4217 de la moneda es CHF, que utilizan los bancos y las instituciones financieras.

Los símbolos oficiales del P. (Símbolo alemán) y fr. (Idiomas latinos) son ampliamente utilizados por empresas y anunciantes, también para el idioma inglés. Según el art. 1 SR / RS 941.101 de la colección de leyes federales, sin embargo , la abreviatura oficial internacional - además de los idiomas nacionales - es CHF , [1] también en inglés; Las guías respectivas también solicitan utilizar el código ISO 4217. [5] [2] [3] [4] El uso de SFr. para francos suizos y fr.sv. están desactualizados. [2] [3] [4] El latinado "CH" significa Confoederatio Helvetica . Dados los diferentes idiomas que se usan en Suiza , el latín se usa para inscripciones de idiomas neutrales en sus monedas.

Antes de la República Helvética

El ecu francés estampado "40 BZ" ( batzen ) en Berna se convirtió en 4 franken bajo la República Helvética

Antes de 1798, alrededor de 75 entidades fabricaban monedas en Suiza, incluidos los 25 cantones y medios cantones, 16 ciudades y abadías, lo que resultó en alrededor de 860 monedas diferentes en circulación, con diferentes valores, denominaciones y sistemas monetarios. [6] Sin embargo, los orígenes de la mayoría de estas monedas se remontan al livre tournois francés (el predecesor del franco francés ) o al gulden del sur de Alemania del siglo XVII. Las nuevas monedas suizas surgieron en el siglo XVIII después de que los cantones suizos no siguieran el ritmo de las depreciaciones que se produjeron en Francia y Alemania. Sin embargo, en su mayoría existían solo en pequeñas cantidades, ya que eran poco más que una moneda comunitaria , corriente en un cantón pero no en el otro, y las monedas extranjeras como los francos franceses y los dólares de Brabante eran más reconocidas como moneda en toda Suiza. [7]

A continuación se muestra un resumen de alto nivel de las monedas existentes a finales del siglo XVIII, incluidos sus equivalentes en términos de la écu francesa de 26,67 g de plata fina, la corona del sur de Alemania de 25,71 g de plata fina y los francos suizos de 4,5 g. plata fina. [8]

Tabla de monedas cantonales suizas importantes
UnidadOrigenUnidades por écuUnidades por kronen thalerCHF por unidad
Berna livreLivre4,003,901,465 F
Ginebra livreLivre3.6433.5361.616 F
Florín del sur de Alemaniagulden2,802,702.116 F
Zúrich guldengulden2,502,452.332 F
Florín suizo centralgulden3,002.9251.954 F

El livre de Berna y la mayoría de los cantones suizos occidentales como Basilea, Aargau, Friburgo, Vaud, Valais, Lausana, Neuchâtel y Solothurn se originaron en el livre tournois francés .

  • La libra se dividió en 20 soles, 10 batzen o 40 kreuzer .
  • Después de 1690, 30 batzen de Berna equivalían a
    • un Reichsthaler alemán (25,984 g de plata fina) por valor de 2 florines o 120 kreuzer, o
    • un Louis d'Argent francés, equivalente al dólar español (24,93 g de plata fina), valorado en 3 livres tournois o 60 soles.
  • Después de 1726, la écu francesa ( laubthaler ) de 26+2 ⁄ 3  g de plata fina se valoraron en 4 libras o 40 batzen (frente a 6 livres tournois en Francia). [9]
  • Después de 1815, el kronenthaler alemán de 25+5 ⁄ 7  g de plata fina estaban valorados en 3,9 libras o 39 batzen (en Neuchâtel, 4,1 libras).
  • Este livre o franco de 1 ⁄ 4 de écu fue el modelo para el franco de la República Helvética de 1798-1847.
  • Las monedas idénticas a este estándar incluyen el tálero de Berna , el tálero de Basilea , el gulden de Friburgo , el gulden de Neuchâtel , el tálero de Solothurn y el tálero de Valais .

Ginebra tenía su propia moneda, el florín petite monnaie , con 3+1 ⁄ 2 florines igual al livre courant. Después de 1641, el dólar español valía 10+1 ⁄ 2 florines o 3 libras. Posteriormente, la écu fue valorada en 12+3 ⁄ 4 florines o 3+9 ⁄ 14 libras, mientras que el kronenthaler estaba valorado en 12+3 ⁄ 8 florines o 3+15 ⁄ 28 libras. Véase también Geneva thaler y Geneva genevoise .

Muchas monedas de Suiza central y oriental se originaron en el gulden del sur de Alemania . Se dividió en 40 chelines o 60 kreuzer , y el tálero valía 2 florines. Después de 1690, este gulden valía 1 ⁄ 2 de unaespecie de Reichsthaler o 12,992 g de plata fina. Después de 1730, los diferentes florines del sur de Alemania y Suiza se fragmentaron bajo diferentes tasas de depreciación. El florín del sur de Alemania , vale 1 ⁄ 24 una marca de Colonia de plata fina, también aplicada a los cantones suizos de St. Gallen, Alpenzell, Schaffhausen y Thurgau. El écu francés estaba valorado en 2,8 florines, mientras que el kronenthaler estaba valorado en 2,7 florines. Véase el tálero de St. Gallen .

Los cantones de Zurich, Schwyz y Glarus, sin embargo, mantuvieron un valor de gulden más fuerte 1 ⁄ 22 una marca de Colonia de plata fina. El écu francés estaba valorado en 2+1 ⁄ 2 florines, mientras que el kronenthaler estaba valorado en 2+18 ⁄ 40 florines; ver Zürich Thaler y Schwyz Gulden . Por otro lado, los cantones suizos centrales de Lucerna, Uri, Zug y Unterwalden mantuvieron un gulden más débil frente al gulden del sur de Alemania . El écu francés se valoró en 3 florines, mientras que el kronenthaler se valoró en 2 37 ⁄ 40 florines (ver florines de Lucerna ).

  • Rollbatzen bernés, del siglo XV.

  • Taler de Basilea (1690)

  • Taler de Zúrich (1768)

República Helvética a la Regeneración 1798-1847

En 1798, la República Helvética introdujo el franco o franco , inspirado en el valor del livre de Berna.1 ⁄ 4 del écu, subdividido en 10 batzen o 100 céntimos . Esto contenía 6+2 ⁄ 3 gramos de plata fina e inicialmente valía 1+1 ⁄ 2 livres tournois o 1,48 francos franceses . [10]

  • 32 moneda de oro Franken de la República Helvética (1800)

  • Moneda de 40 Batzen de Vaud (1812)

  • Konkordatsbatzen de Berna (1826)

  • 1 franc coin of Vaud (1845)

This franc was issued until the end of the Helvetic Republic in 1803, but served as the model for the currencies of several cantons in the Mediation period (1803–1814). These 19 cantonal currencies were the Appenzell frank, Argovia frank, Basel frank, Berne frank, Fribourg frank, Geneva franc, Glarus frank, Graubünden frank, Luzern frank, St. Gallen frank, Schaffhausen frank, Schwyz frank, Solothurn frank, Thurgau frank, Ticino franco, Unterwalden frank, Uri frank, Vaud franc, and Zürich frank.

After 1815, the restored Swiss Confederacy attempted to simplify the system of currencies once again. As of 1820, a total of 8,000 distinct coins were current in Switzerland: those issued by cantons, cities, abbeys, and principalities or lordships, mixed with surviving coins of the Helvetic Republic and the pre-1798 Helvetic Republic. In 1825, the cantons of Berne, Basel, Fribourg, Solothurn, Aargau, and Vaud formed a monetary concordate, issuing standardised coins, the so-called Konkordanzbatzen, still carrying the coat of arms of the issuing canton, but interchangeable and identical in value. The reverse side of the coin displayed a Swiss cross with the letter C in the center.

Franc of the Swiss Confederation, 1850–present

The Konkordanzbatzen among the Swiss cantons agreeing on an exclusive issue of currency in francs and batzen failed to replace the over 8,000 different coins and notes in circulation. Despite introduction of the first Swiss franc, the South German kronenthaler became the more desirable coin to use in the 19th century, and it was still quoted in pre-1798 currency equivalents. Furthermore, less than 15% of Swiss money in circulation was in local currency, since French & German gold & silver trade coins proved to be more desirable means of exchange.[7] A final problem was that the first Swiss franc was based on the French écu which was being phased out by France in the 19th century.

To solve this problem, the new Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848 specified that the federal government would be the only entity allowed to issue money in Switzerland. This was followed two years later by the first Federal Coinage Act, passed by the Federal Assembly on 7 May 1850, which introduced the franc as the monetary unit of Switzerland.

The Swiss franc was introduced at par with the French franc, at 4.5 g fine silver or 9⁄31 g = 0.29032 g fine gold (ratio 15.5). The currencies of the Swiss cantons were converted to Swiss francs by first restating their equivalents in German kronenthaler (écu brabant) of 25+5⁄7 grams fine silver, and then to Swiss francs at the rate of 7 écu brabant = 40 Swiss francs. The first franc worth 1⁄4th the French écu was converted at 1.4597 Swiss francs.[11]

Exchange rates with the euro and U.S. dollar, 2003–2006

In 1865, France, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland formed the Latin Monetary Union, in which they agreed to value their national currencies to a standard of 4.5 grams of silver or 0.290322 grams of gold. Even after the monetary union faded away in the 1920s and officially ended in 1927, the Swiss franc remained on that standard until 1936, when it suffered its sole devaluation, on 27 September during the Great Depression. The currency was devalued by 30% following the devaluations of the British pound, U.S. dollar and French franc.[12] In 1945, Switzerland joined the Bretton Woods system and pegged the franc to the US dollar at a rate of $1 = CHF 4.30521 (equivalent to CHF 1 = 0.206418 grams of gold). This was changed to $1 = CHF 4.375 (CHF 1 = 0.203125 grams of gold) in 1949.

The Swiss franc has historically been considered a safe-haven currency, with a legal requirement that a minimum of 40% be backed by gold reserves.[13] However, this link to gold, which dated from the 1920s, was terminated on 1 May 2000 following a referendum.[14][15] By March 2005, following a gold-selling program, the Swiss National Bank held 1,290 tonnes of gold in reserves, which equated to 20% of its assets.[16]

In November 2014, the referendum on the "Swiss Gold Initiative", which proposed a restoration of 20% gold backing for the Swiss franc, was voted down.[17]

2011–2014: Big movements and capping

Euro – Swiss franc exchange rate from 1999

The onset of the Greek sovereign debt crisis resulted in a strong appreciation in the value of the Swiss franc, past US$1.10 (CHF 0.91 per USD) in March 2011, to US$1.20 (CHF 0.844 per USD) in June 2011, and to US$1.30 (CHF 0.769 per USD) in August 2011.[18] This prompted the Swiss National Bank to boost the franc's liquidity to try to counter its "massive overvaluation".[19] The Economist argued that its Big Mac Index in July 2011 indicated an overvaluation of 98% over the dollar, and cited Swiss companies releasing profit warnings and threatening to move operations out of the country due to the strength of the franc.[20] Demand for francs and franc-denominated assets was so strong that nominal short-term Swiss interest rates became negative.[21]

On 6 September 2011, shortly after when the exchange rate was 1.095 CHF/€[22] and appeared to be heading for parity with the euro, the SNB set a minimum exchange rate of 1.20 francs to the euro ('capping' the franc's appreciation), saying "the value of the franc is a threat to the economy",[23] and that it was "prepared to buy foreign currency in unlimited quantities".[24] In response to this announcement the franc fell against the euro, to 1.22 francs from 1.12 francs[25] and lost 9% against the U.S. dollar within fifteen minutes.[26] The intervention stunned currency traders, since the franc had long been regarded as a safe haven.[27]

The franc fell 8.8% against the euro, 9.5% against the dollar, and at least 8.2% against all 16 of the most active currencies on the day of the announcement. It was the largest plunge of the franc ever against the euro.[28] The SNB had previously set an exchange rate target in 1978 against the Deutsche mark and maintained it,[clarification needed] although at the cost of high inflation.[29] Until mid-January 2015, the franc continued to trade below the target level set by the SNB,[30] though the ceiling was broken at least once on 5 April 2012, albeit briefly.[31]

End of capping

On 18 December 2014, the Swiss central bank introduced a negative interest rate on bank deposits to support its CHF ceiling.[32] However, with the euro declining in value over the following weeks, in a move dubbed Francogeddon[33][34][35][36] for its effect on markets, the Swiss National Bank abandoned the ceiling on 15 January 2015, and the franc promptly increased in value compared with the euro by 30%, although this only lasted a few minutes before part of the increase was reversed.[37] The move was not announced in advance and resulted in "turmoil" in stock and currency markets.[38] By the close of trading that day, the franc was up 23% against the euro and 21% against the US dollar.[39] The full daily appreciation of the franc was equivalent to $31,000 per single futures contract: more than the market had moved collectively[clarification needed] in the previous thousand days.[40] The key CHF interest rate was also lowered from −0.25% to −0.75%, meaning depositors would be paying an increased fee to keep their funds in a Swiss bank account. This devaluation of the euro against the franc was expected to hurt Switzerland's large export industry. The Swatch Group, for example, saw its shares drop 15% (in Swiss franc terms) with the announcements[37] so that the share price may have increased on that day in terms of other major currencies.

The large and unexpected jump caused major losses for some currency traders. Alpari, a Russian-owned spread betting firm established in the UK, temporarily declared insolvency before announcing its desire to be acquired (and later denied rumours of an acquisition) by FXCM.[41][42] FXCM was bailed out by its parent company.[43] Saxo Bank of Denmark reported losses on 19 January 2015.[44] New Zealand foreign exchange broker Global Brokers NZ announced it "could no longer meet New Zealand regulators' minimum capital requirements" and terminated its business.[45]

Media questioned the ongoing credibility of the Swiss central bank,[46] and indeed central banks in general. Using phrases like "extend-and-pretend" to describe central bank exchange rate control measures, Saxobank chief economist Steen Jakobsen said, "As a group, central banks have lost credibility and when the ECB starts QE this week, the beginning of the end for central banks will be well under way".[47] BT Investment Management's head of income and fixed interest Vimal Gor said, "Central banks are becoming more and more impotent. It also ultimately proves that central banks cannot drive economic growth like they think they can".[47] UBS interest rate strategist Andrew Lilley commented, "central banks can have inconsistent goals from one day to another".[47]

Coins before the Helvetic Republic

Coins before 1700 were based on either the French livre tournois system (in Louis d'Argent, Louis d'Or and fractions) or the South German gulden system (in Reichsthalers, florins and fractions). After 1700 Swiss cantonal currencies diverged from the value of the French and German units. However, they mostly existed only in small change as they were a mere community currency, current in one canton but not in the other, and foreign coins like French francs and Brabant dollars were more recognized as currency all over Switzerland.[7]

Coins of the Helvetic Republic

16 franc gold coin of the Helvetic Republic (1800)

Between 1798 and 1803, billon coins were issued in denominations of 1 centime, 1⁄2 batzen, and 1 batzen. Silver coins were issued for 10, 20 and 40 batzen (also denominated 4 francs), matching with French coins worth 1⁄4, 1⁄2 and 1 écu. Gold 16- and 32-franc coins were issued in 1800, also matching with French coins worth 24 and 48 livres tournois.[48]

Coins of the Swiss Confederation

In 1850, coins were introduced in denominations of 1 centime, 2 centimes, 5 centimes, 10 centimes 20 centimes, 1⁄2 franc, 1 franc, 2 francs, and 5 francs. The 1 centime and 2 centime coins were struck in bronze; the 5 centimes, 10 centime and 20 centime in billon (with 5% to 15% silver content); and the 1⁄2 franc, 1 franc, 2 franc and 5 franc in .900 fine silver. Between 1860 and 1863, .800 fine silver was used, before the standard used in France of .835 fineness was adopted for all silver coins except the 5 francs (which remained .900 fineness) in 1875. In 1879, billon was replaced by cupronickel in the 5 centime and 10 centime coins and by nickel in the 20 centime piece.[49] Gold coins in denominations of 10, 20, and 100 francs, known as Vreneli, circulated until 1936.[50]

Both world wars only had a small effect on the Swiss coinage, with brass and zinc coins temporarily being issued. In 1931, the mass of the 5 franc coin was reduced from 25 grams to 15, with the silver content reduced to .835 fineness. The next year, nickel replaced cupronickel in the 5 centime and 10 centime coins.[51]

In the late 1960s, the prices of internationally traded commodities rose significantly. A silver coin's metal value exceeded its monetary value, and many were being sent abroad for melting, which prompted the federal government to make this practice illegal.[52] The statute was of little effect, and the melting of francs only subsided when the collectible value of the remaining francs again exceeded their material value.[citation needed]

The 1 centime coin was still produced until 2006, albeit in ever decreasing quantities, but its importance declined. Those who could justify the use of 1 centime coins for monetary purposes could obtain them at face value; any other user (such as collectors) had to pay an additional four centimes per coin to cover the production costs, which had exceeded the actual face value of the coin for many years. The coin fell into disuse in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but was only officially fully withdrawn from circulation and declared to be no longer legal tender on 1 January 2007. The long-forgotten 2 centime coin, not minted since 1974, was demonetized on 1 January 1978.[51]

5 Swiss francs coin minted in 1889

The designs of the coins have changed very little since 1879. Among the notable changes were new designs for the 5 francs coins in 1888, 1922, 1924 (minor), and 1931 (mostly just a size reduction). A new design for the bronze coins was used from 1948. Coins depicting a ring of stars (such as the 1 franc coin seen beside this paragraph) were altered from 22 stars to 23 stars in 1983; since the stars represent the Swiss cantons, the design was updated when in 1979 Jura seceded from the Canton of Bern and became the 23rd canton of the Swiss Confederation.[51]

1 Swiss franc coin minted in 1995

The 10 centime coins from 1879 onwards (except the years 1918–19 and 1932–1939) have had the same composition, size, and design to present and are still legal tender and found in circulation.[51] For this, the coin entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest original currency in circulation.[53]

"> Play media
3D animation of the surface of a 1⁄2-franc coin

All Swiss coins are language-neutral with respect to Switzerland's four national languages, featuring only numerals, the abbreviation "Fr." for franc, and the Latin phrases Helvetia or Confœderatio Helvetica (depending on the denomination) or the inscription Libertas (Roman goddess of liberty) on the small coins. The name of the artist is present on the coins with the standing Helvetia and the herder.

In addition to these general-circulation coins, numerous series of commemorative coins have been issued, as well as silver and gold coins. These coins are no longer legal tender, but can in theory be exchanged at face value at post offices, and at national and cantonal banks,[54] although their metal or collectors' value equals or exceeds their face value.

Overview of current Swiss coins [55]
Value Diameter
(mm) 		Thickness
(mm) 		Mass
(g) 		Composition Remarks
5 centimes 17.15 1.25 1.8 Aluminium bronze Made in cupronickel or pure nickel until 1980
10 centimes 19.15 1.45 3 Cupronickel Made in current minting since 1879
20 centimes 21.05 1.65 4 Cupronickel
1⁄2 franc 18.20 1.25 2.2 Cupronickel In silver until 1967
1 franc 23.20 1.55 4.4 Cupronickel In silver until 1967
2 francs 27.40 2.15 8.8 Cupronickel In silver until 1967
5 francs 31.45 2.35 13.2 Cupronickel In silver until 1967 and in 1969; 25 g mass until 1930

Fine print of a CHF 20 banknote, with distances between earth and various celestial bodies in light-seconds

In 1907, the Swiss National Bank took over the issuance of banknotes from the cantons and various banks. It introduced denominations of 50, 100, 500 and 1000 francs.[56] 20-franc notes were introduced in 1911, followed by 5-franc notes in 1913.[57] In 1914, the Federal Treasury issued paper money in denominations of 5, 10 and 20 francs. These notes were issued in three different versions: French, German and Italian.[58] The State Loan Bank also issued 25-franc notes that year. In 1952, the national bank ceased issuing 5-franc notes but introduced 10-franc notes in 1955. In 1996, 200-franc notes were introduced whilst the 500-franc note was discontinued.

Eight series of banknotes have been printed by the Swiss National Bank, six of which have been released for use by the general public. The sixth series from 1976, designed by Ernst and Ursula Hiestand [de], depicted persons from the world of science. This series was recalled on 1 May 2000 and is no longer legal tender, but notes can still be exchanged for valid ones of the same face value at any National Bank branch or authorized agent, or mailed in by post to the National Bank in exchange for a bank account deposit. The exchange program originally was due to end on 30 April 2020, after which sixth-series notes would lose all value.[59] As of 2016, 1.1 billion francs' worth of sixth-series notes had not yet been exchanged, even though they had not been legal tender for 16 years and only 4 more years remained to exchange them. To avoid having to expire such large amounts of money in 2020, the Federal Council (cabinet) and National Bank proposed in April 2017 to remove the time limit on exchanges for the sixth and future recalled series.[60][61] As of 2020, this proposal was enacted, so old banknote series will not expire.

The seventh series was printed in 1984, but kept as a "reserve series", ready to be used if, for example, wide counterfeiting of the current series suddenly happened. When the Swiss National Bank decided to develop new security features and to abandon the concept of a reserve series, the details of the seventh series were released and the printed notes were destroyed.[62] The current, eighth series of banknotes was designed by Jörg Zintzmeyer [de] around the theme of the arts and released starting in 1995. In addition to its new vertical design, this series was different from the previous one on several counts. Probably the most important difference from a practical point of view was that the seldom-used 500-franc note was replaced by a new 200-franc note; this new note has indeed proved more successful than the old 500-franc note.[note 4] The base colours of the new notes were kept similar to the old ones, except that the 20-franc note was changed from blue to red to prevent a frequent confusion with the 100-franc note, and that the 10-franc note was changed from red to yellow. The size of the notes was changed as well, with all notes from the eighth series having the same height (74 mm), while the widths were changed as well, still increasing with the value of the notes. The new series contains many more security features than the previous one;[63] many of them are now visibly displayed and have been widely advertised, in contrast with the previous series for which most of the features were kept secret.

Eighth series of Swiss banknotes [64]
Image Value Dimensions Main colour Obverse Date of issue Remarks
ObverseReverse
10 francs 126 × 74 mm Yellow Le Corbusier 8 April 1997
20 francs 137 × 74 mm Red Arthur Honegger 1 October 1996
50 francs 148 × 74 mm Green Sophie Taeuber-Arp 3 October 1995
100 francs 159 × 74 mm Blue Alberto Giacometti 1 October 1998
200 francs 170 × 74 mm Brown Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz 1 October 1997 Replaced the 500-franc banknote in the previous series
1000 francs 181 × 74 mm Purple Jacob Burckhardt 1 April 1998
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

All banknotes are quadrilingual, displaying all information in the four national languages. The banknotes depicting a Germanophone person have German and Romansch on the same side as the picture, whereas banknotes depicting a Francophone or an Italophone person have French and Italian on the same side as the picture. The reverse has the other two languages.

When the fifth series lost its validity at the end of April 2000, the banknotes that had not been exchanged represented a total value of 244.3 million Swiss francs; in accordance with Swiss law, this amount was transferred to the Swiss Fund for Emergency Losses in the Case of Non-insurable Natural Disasters.[65]

  • Ninth (current) series of Swiss banknotes

  • 10 francs, front

  • 10 francs, back

  • 20 francs, front

  • 20 francs, back

  • 50 francs, front

  • 50 francs, back

  • 100 francs, front

  • 100 francs, back

  • 200 francs, front

  • 200 francs, back

  • 1000 francs, front

  • 1000 francs, back

In February 2005, a competition was announced for the design of the ninth series, then planned to be released around 2010 on the theme "Switzerland open to the world". The results were announced in November 2005. The National Bank selected the designs of Swiss graphic designer Manuela Pfrunder as the basis of the new series. The first denomination to be issued was the 50-franc note on 12 April 2016. It was followed by the 20-franc note (17 May 2017), the 10-franc note (18 October 2017), the 200-franc note (15 August 2018), the 1000-franc note (5 March 2019) and the 100-franc note (12 September 2019).

All banknotes from the eighth series were withdrawn on 30 April 2021, but, like banknotes of the sixth series withdrawn in 2000, remain indefinitely redeemable at the Swiss National Bank.[66]

Most traded currencies by value
Currency distribution of global foreign exchange market turnover[67]
RankCurrencyISO 4217 code
(symbol)		% of daily trades
(bought or sold)
(April 2019)
1
 United States dollar
USD (US$)
88.3%
2
 Euro
EUR (€)
32.3%
3
 Japanese yen
JPY (¥)
16.8%
4
 Pound sterling
GBP (£)
12.8%
5
 Australian dollar
AUD (A$)
6.8%
6
 Canadian dollar
CAD (C$)
5.0%
7
 Swiss franc
CHF (CHF)
5.0%
8
 Renminbi
CNY (元 / ¥)
4.3%
9
 Hong Kong dollar
HKD (HK$)
3.5%
10
 New Zealand dollar
NZD (NZ$)
2.1%
11
 Swedish krona
SEK (kr)
2.0%
12
South Korean won
KRW (₩)
2.0%
13
 Singapore dollar
SGD (S$)
1.8%
14
Norwegian krone
NOK (kr)
1.8%
15
 Mexican peso
MXN ($)
1.7%
16
Indian rupee
INR (₹)
1.7%
17
 Russian ruble
RUB (₽)
1.1%
18
South African rand
ZAR (R)
1.1%
19
 Turkish lira
TRY (₺)
1.1%
20
Brazilian real
BRL (R$)
1.1%
21
New Taiwan dollar
TWD (NT$)
0.9%
22
Danish krone
DKK (kr)
0.6%
23
Polish złoty
PLN (zł)
0.6%
24
Thai baht
THB (฿)
0.5%
25
Indonesian rupiah
IDR (Rp)
0.4%
26
Hungarian forint
HUF (Ft)
0.4%
27
Czech koruna
CZK (Kč)
0.4%
28
Israeli new shekel
ILS (₪)
0.3%
29
Chilean peso
CLP (CLP$)
0.3%
30
Philippine peso
PHP (₱)
0.3%
31
UAE dirham
AED (د.إ)
0.2%
32
Colombian peso
COP (COL$)
0.2%
33
Saudi riyal
SAR (﷼)
0.2%
34
Malaysian ringgit
MYR (RM)
0.1%
35
Romanian leu
RON (L)
0.1%
Other2.2%
Total[note 5]200.0%

The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein and also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave of Büsingen am Hochrhein (the sole legal currency is the euro), it is in wide daily use there; with many prices quoted in Swiss francs. The Swiss franc is the only version of the franc still issued in Europe.

As of March 2010, the total value of released Swiss coins and banknotes was 49.6640 billion Swiss francs.[68]

Value of Swiss coins and banknotes in circulation as of March 2010 (in millions of CHF) [68]
Coins 10 francs 20 francs 50 francs 100 francs 200 francs 500 francs 1000 francs Total
2,695.4 656.7 1,416.7 1,963.0 8,337.4 6,828.0 129.9 27,637.1 49,664.0

Combinations of up to 100 circulating Swiss coins (not including special or commemorative coins) are legal tender; banknotes are legal tender for any amount.[69]

Current CHF exchange rates
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  • Banking in Switzerland
  • Economy of Switzerland
  • Gold standard
  • Hard currency
  • Iraqi Swiss dinar, a common name for the old Iraqi currency but not related to Swiss currency.
  • Liechtenstein franc
  • List of currencies in Europe

  1. ^ a b c d e Can be pronounced (and written) differently among different regions.
  2. ^ The Swiss franc is the official currency and the euro is widely accepted.
  3. ^ The Swiss franc is widely accepted, although the euro is officially used.
  4. ^ The global value of those 200-franc notes in circulation in 2000 (5.1200 billion francs) was larger than the value of the 500-franc notes in 1996 (3.9123 billion), even when these figures are corrected for the global increase in total value of Swiss banknotes in circulation (+9%). Figures from the Monthly Statistical Bulletin of the Swiss National Bank, January 2006, Op cit.
  5. ^ The total sum is 200% because each currency trade always involves a currency pair; one currency is sold (e.g. US$) and another bought (€). Therefore each trade is counted twice, once under the sold currency ($) and once under the bought currency (€). The percentages above are the percent of trades involving that currency regardless of whether it is bought or sold, e.g. the U.S. Dollar is bought or sold in 88% of all trades, whereas the Euro is bought or sold 32% of the time.

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  • Media related to Money of Switzerland at Wikimedia Commons
  • (in German) CashFollow.ch, Swiss Franc Tracker
  • (in German) Schweizer-Franken.ch Archived 18 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Information about the Swiss Franc
  • (in English) Switzerland Banknotes, Swiss Franc: Banknote Catalog from 1907
  • Historical exchange rates of USD/CHF (from the year 1800 to present time).
  • Historical chart of USD/CHF (from the year 1800 to present time).
  • (in English and German) The Banknotes of Switzerland