Official And Unofficial Market Exchange Rates-April 2021

Nostro USD/USD Notes	5%
Nostro USD/ZWL Notes	$95
USD / ZWL$ ZIPIT/Bank^	$122.00
USD / ZWL$ Swipe***	$125.00
USD / ZWL$ OneMoney	$115.00
USD / ZWL$ Ecocash	$112.00
USD / BOND* or ZWL Cash	$110.00
USD / BOND** or ZWL Cash (USD1 Notes)	$110.00
USD / ZWL$ RBZ Average Rate	$84.4827
USD / ZWL$ Skrill	135.00
USD / ZWL$ Bitcoin	140.00
USD/USD Skrll	1.05-1.10
USD/USD Bitcoin	1.07-1.15
Rand/ZWL OneMoney & Ecocash	R152: 1100 ZWL
Rand/ZWL ZWL Cash	R152: 1000 ZWL
Rand/USD You buying Rand using USD	15.20 : 1 USD
Rand/USD You buying USD using Rand	15:40 : 1 USD

Last updated 20 April 06:45 hours

• *There is a difference between the rate that shops use for their calculations e.g. when you have to top up in ZWL notes (bond) versus the rate you will get by illegally selling USD on the streets
• For example, shops currently use a rate of $105 ZWL cash per 1 USD but when you sell on the streets you will likely only get about $ 100 ZWL
• Our site is about informing you about the latest prices but we know people might also be interested in other rates so we have included both of them above
• **Due to an acute change problem in the market $1 USD notes sometimes (but not always) sell a premium
• *** Usually indicates the rate paid by dealers who deal with very large amounts of above US$5 000 and the implied rate used by shops when selling their wares. Small and middle dealers who interface with people in the streets pay the rate somewhere near that indicated by ^.
• We have seen some people advertising to buy Nostro USD in exchange for Cash USD at a discount.
• Even though Skrill has announced that it will close Zimbabwean accounts, Skrill balances are coveted by people who are into gambling and forex trading.
• It’s not as coveted as Bitcoin which offers people the ability to move funds around away from the gaze of authorities. Bitcoin is also used in gambling and forex trading.

Something important to note

NB Our rates are there to help you navigate and make sense of prices offered in some shops which either a high rate e.g. Tuckshops, Gain and Trade Center or deduce the implied rate used by some shops to set their prices based on what they sell their products in USD for in their online stores and ZWL in brick and mortar stores. It should not be used as a guide to the black market.

This should not be used as some magical guide to the world of illicit foreign currency trading. We are more interested in the prices of various items than anything else and will continue to focus on that aspect.

How are implied rates calculated?

As already pointed out we are primarily interested in prices. So here is an example, of how we come up with the implied rates. The bulk of employed people in Zimbabwe are civil servants who earn RTGS. We pose as a person who wants to buy something in RTGS, walk into a pharmacy or shop which sells primarily in USD. There is an item x selling for US$1 and we ask for the RTGS price.

The cashier pulls out their giant business calculator or enters a mysterious code into their system. And a few moments later, you are told a price. This usually goes along the lines of “If you are paying using Swipe/ZIPIT you will have to pay $125 ZWL.” When we get home we pull out our own calculators and attempt to come up with the rate that was used.

13 April 2021 Auction Summary

Details	SME Auction Number 35	Main Auction Number 41
Amount Allotted	US$3 749 275.87	US$29 174 807.16
The Highest Rate	87.5000	87.0000
The Lowest Rate	82.0000	82.0000
Lowest Accepted Rate	82.0000	82.0000
Total Bids Accepted	US$3 749 275.87	US$29 174 807.16
Number of Bids Received	298	316
Number of Accepted Bids	257	267
Number of Bids Alloted	257	267
Number of Bids Disqualified	41	49

13 April Auction results and Forex Allocations

Purpose	Amount Allotted SME Auction (US$)	Amount Allotted Main Auction (US$)
Raw Materials	1 045 035.55	13 631 643.45
Machinery and Equipment	709 343.36	5 573 039.47
Consumables (incl Spare, Tyres, Electricals)	962 300.09	1 464 270.32
Services (Loans, Education, Dividends, Disinvestments, etc)	223 047.33	2 410 695.77
Retail and Distribution (Incl. Food, Beverages, etc)	366 024.43	2 319 489.46
Fuel, Electricity and Gas	176 263.34	1 747 149.46
Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals	163 698.61	1 908 556.73
Paper and Packaging	103 563.16	119 962.50
Total	3 749 275.87	29 174 807.16

• A Grand Total of US$32 924 083.03 was allotted this week
• About US$32.9 million was disbursed through the auction compared to about US$25.3 million last week
• Officially, the Zimbabwean dollar marginally lost value as it moved from US$1: $84.3970 ZWL to US$1: $84.4827 ZWL this week
• There have been 36 main auctions and 30 SME auctions since the auction system began
• The average rate is to be used with caution. Please read our explanation on why the rate is to be treated as a rough guide rather than used for internal calculations
• Reasons for disqualification include things like the need for the foreign currency not being on the priority list, the bidding company has what appears to be adequate foreign currency in their accounts, companies that seem like they are externalising etc.
• What all this means is that demand for foreign currency still far outstrips supply and
• Some people/entities who wanted foreign currency were not able to get it
• More often than not these entities find a way to get that foreign currency as failure is not an option.
• The data published by the RBZ shows that the bulk of forex trading takes place on the forex auction
• However, this market is not yet open to individuals who earn RTGS and are in need of forex for example:
  • Individuals who want to pay their pay-TV subscriptions which are only payable in USD- in one year the RBZ provided that showed that almost US$100 million was being spent on this
  • Individuals looking to pay fees for themselves or their children in foreign universities
  • People who want to import vehicles and other goods and services for themselves
  • Informal businesses whose import needs are not in line with the foreign currency priority list

Other Things to note

• The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) has resumed operations but Old Mutual shares are now not being traded on it.
• The new official rate is determined by an auction which is carried out once a week. The above official rate will last for a week after the auction.
• The RBZ banned Ecocash Cash-in and Cash-out and agents the primary means through which illegal traders by and sell foreign currency. This dampened the market and has driven the sellers even further underground. Thanks to these actions the Ecocash rate on the black market has remained closer to the cash rate as there is very little movement of funds in this arena.
• We don’t illegally trade in foreign currency. This data is obtained from various sources including MarketWatch and WhatsApp groups based on what illegal traders are offering or asking for.
• There is an undeniable link between prices in Zimbabwe and the black market exchange rates which a lot of businesses, including retailers and manufacturers use to compute their prices.

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