Historical Currency Converter

Choose an amount, two currencies and a past date to see the conversion at the European Central Bank reference rate for that day — with the actual ECB publication date always shown.

The converter needs JavaScript to look up the ECB reference rate for the date you choose.

What this converter uses

Every result uses the euro foreign exchange reference rates published by the European Central Bank, read through the same Frankfurter feed as the rest of SnapExchangeRates. The ECB publishes one set of reference rates per business day, around 16:00 CET. These are mid-market benchmark rates, not prices anyone traded at.

Selected date vs the ECB rate date

The ECB does not publish on weekends or on its own holidays. If you pick such a day, the converter uses the most recent earlier ECB publication and tells you so: the date you selected and the ECB date actually used are shown separately. It searches back at most 10 calendar days. If no publication for both currencies exists in that window, no rate is shown.

Occasionally the ECB publishes for most currencies but not for one of them. The converter then names the missing currency and uses the latest earlier day on which both currencies were published.

How two non-euro currencies are converted

ECB rates are quoted against the euro. For a pair such as NOK to GBP, the converter takes both euro rates from the same ECB publication and divides them: rate(A → B) = ECB(EUR → B) ÷ ECB(EUR → A). Both currencies always come from one day — rates from different days are never combined. The amount is multiplied at full precision and rounded only for display.

Historical coverage and limitations

Availability depends on both currencies you select. A conversion is only shown for a date on which both have an ECB reference rate.

  • Most supported currencies, including USD, GBP, JPY, CHF, NOK, SEK and DKK: from 4 January 1999.
  • BRL, CNY, INR and ILS: from 13 January 2000.
  • ISK: from 4 January 1999, but the ECB published no Icelandic króna rate between 9 December 2008 and 1 February 2018.
  • TRY: from 1 January 2005. Earlier source observations belong to the pre-redenomination Turkish lira and are not presented as TRY.
  • RON: from 1 July 2005. Earlier source observations belong to the pre-redenomination Romanian leu and are not presented as RON.
  • Future dates have no rate yet.

Why your bank or card rate for that day can differ

Banks, card networks and payment providers set their own customer rates, usually a margin on top of the market rate, and may fix them at a different time of day than the ECB. A historical statement or receipt can therefore show a different rate from the ECB reference rate for the same date. Use the reference rate as a benchmark, not as a record of what a provider charged.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I choose a weekend or ECB holiday?

The converter uses the latest earlier ECB publication, at most 10 days back, and shows both your selected date and the ECB date it actually used.

How far back do the historical rates go?

For most supported currencies to 4 January 1999. BRL, CNY, INR and ILS start on 13 January 2000, TRY on 1 January 2005 and RON on 1 July 2005, and ISK has no rates between December 2008 and February 2018.

Why is no rate shown for some currencies or dates?

Because no ECB reference rate exists for one of the currencies on that date. Rather than estimate or borrow a rate from another period, the converter shows nothing.

How are two non-euro currencies converted?

Both currencies' euro rates are taken from the same ECB publication and divided, so the cross rate always belongs to one date.

Why does my bank or card show a different historical rate?

Providers apply their own rates and margins, often fixed at a different time than the ECB. The ECB reference rate is a benchmark, not the rate a provider charged.