Sol (currency)

The sol (plural: "soles") is the monetary unit (currency) of Peru. The nuevo sol was introduced in 1991 to replace the highly inflated inti. The inti itself was introduced in mid-1985 because the old sol was inflated beyond use. The ISO 4217 currency code is PEN (the old sol had the code PEH).

The name derives from historical use and divination of the sun (sol, in spanish) as a symbol of power, also as a (not-so-)subtle way of connecting the new currency (Nuevo Sol) to the old inti currency, the Sun God of the Incas.

• 1 nuevo sol (new sol) = 100 céntimos

Coins in circulation: 1 (see note), 5, 10, 25, and 50 céntimos; 1, 2, and 5 nuevos soles.

Notes in circulation: 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 nuevos soles.

Exchange rates as of March 2005:

• 1 U.S. dollar = 3.23155 nuevos soles
• 1 euro = 4.3165 nuevos soles

NOTE: While legally still in circulation, the 1 céntimo coin is hardly used anymore. The BCRP (Central Reserve Bank) has stopped minting of these coins and final costs in establishments are rounded down to the previous 5 céntimo since most do not hold 1 céntimo coins (in some, this is even rounded down to the previous 10 céntimo). This is largely because most cash registers have enough troughs to hold 6 or 7 different coin denominations, so the smallest are discarded.

Current PEN exchange rates

AUD | CAD | EUR | GBP | INR | NZD | USD