What does Currency Converter do?
Free currency converter using European Central Bank reference rates for about 30 currencies, with the rate date, inverse rate and a rate history chart.
- Price
- Free
- Account
- Not required
- Processing
- Exchange rates come from the European Central Bank reference feed via our server; your amounts stay in your browser
- Works on
- Any modern browser on desktop, tablet or phone
- Category
- Financial Calculators
How to use the currency converter
- Enter the amount you want to convert.
- Choose the currency you have and the currency you want. Type a code or a name to search the list.
- Read the converted amount, the exchange rate and the inverse rate, and check the rate date.
- Use Swap to reverse the pair, and change the chart period to see how the rate has moved.
Worked example
US dollars to British pounds on 25 September 2026
The ECB reference rates for 25 September 2026 were 1 EUR = 1.1403 USD and 1 EUR = 0.86045 GBP. The USD to GBP cross rate is 0.86045 ÷ 1.1403 = 0.75458, so 100 USD converts to 75.46 GBP. The inverse rate is 1.1403 ÷ 0.86045 = 1.3252 USD per GBP.
How it works
Rates come from the European Central Bank euro foreign exchange reference rates, fetched through the free Frankfurter API by our server and cached for up to one hour. The ECB quotes every currency against the euro, so a cross rate is rate(A → B) = (B per EUR) ÷ (A per EUR), and the converted amount is the amount × that rate. The result is shown to the target currency’s usual number of decimal places. If the rates cannot be loaded, no conversion is shown.
Assumptions
- Reference rates are published once per working day at around 16:00 CET. There are no rates for weekends or TARGET holidays, so the latest working day’s rate is used.
- Reference rates are mid-market indicators. Banks, card providers and exchange services add a margin or fee, so the amount you actually receive will usually be lower.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my bank give me a different rate?
Banks and card providers price currency with a margin on top of the market rate, and may add a fixed fee. The ECB reference rate is a published benchmark, not a rate anyone will trade with you at.
How often are the rates updated?
The ECB publishes reference rates once per working day at around 16:00 Central European Time. This page shows the date of the rates it is using.
Why is my currency missing?
The ECB publishes reference rates for about 30 currencies. Currencies it does not cover, such as many African, Middle Eastern and Latin American currencies, are not available here rather than being estimated.
Can I use this for trading or accounting?
Use it for estimates. For accounting, use the rate your policy or tax authority specifies. For trading, use a live quote from your provider.
Limitations
- Only the currencies in the ECB reference rate list (about 30) are supported; many world currencies are not included.
- Rates are end-of-day reference values and are not suitable for live trading.
- Depends on the Frankfurter API and the ECB publication being available.