exotic pair · USD/ZAR
US Dollar to South African Rand: the daily ECB reference rate, a historical chart, pair specification and what drives each currency.
16.4555
-0.1824 (-1.10%)
1 USD = 16.4555 ZAR · 1 ZAR = 0.06077 USD · previous 16.6379 on 3 Nov 2026
USD/ZAR ECB reference rate, 4 Nov 2025 to 4 Nov 2026: from 17.4693 to 16.4555 (down 5.80%). High 17.4693 on 4 Nov 2025, low 15.6738 on 29 Jan 2026.
256 daily observations · 4 Nov 2025 – 4 Nov 2026
Latest rate within the 12-month range
The latest rate sits at 44% of the 12-month low-to-high range.
Calculated from daily ECB reference rates — closing-type snapshots, not intraday highs and lows.
Understanding the pair
In USD/ZAR the US Dollar is the base currency and the South African Rand is the quote currency. The rate tells you how many ZAR one USD buys, so a rising USD/ZAR means the US Dollar is strengthening against the South African Rand.
USD/ZAR is an exotic pair: it combines a major currency with that of a smaller or emerging economy, so spreads, swap costs and the size of sudden moves are typically larger than for the majors.
Prices are quoted to 4 decimal places here. One pip is 0.0001, so on a standard lot of 100,000 USD a one-pip move is worth 10 ZAR — use the pip calculator to convert that into your account currency.
Liquidity in USD/ZAR is usually deepest when both home markets are open — the New York (08:00–17:00 New York time) and London (08:00–17:00 London time) sessions. See live session times on the market hours clock.
The world's main reserve and invoicing currency. The BIS 2022 Triennial Survey found the dollar on one side of about 88% of all FX trades, so US interest-rate expectations and risk sentiment ripple through almost every pair.
Central bank: Federal Reserve
One of the more liquid emerging-market currencies. The rand is sensitive to commodity prices such as gold and platinum, to domestic politics and to global risk appetite.
Central bank: South African Reserve Bank
USD/ZAR shows how many South African Rand (ZAR) one US Dollar (USD) buys. USD is the base currency and ZAR is the quote currency. If the rate rises, the US Dollar has strengthened against the South African Rand.
No. It is derived from the euro foreign exchange reference rates published by the European Central Bank once per working day around 16:00 CET. It is useful for reference, budgeting and calculator inputs, but it is not an executable trading quote — a broker's bid and ask will differ.
By convention one pip in USD/ZAR is 0.0001 because the pair is quoted in ZAR. On a standard lot of 100,000 USD, a one-pip move is worth 10 ZAR. Brokers may quote an extra decimal (a pipette).
Liquidity is typically deepest when both home markets are open: the New York (08:00–17:00 New York time) and London (08:00–17:00 London time) sessions, and especially where they overlap.
Educational information only, not investment advice. Trading leveraged currency products carries a high risk of losing money.