UGX Ugandan Shilling Definition and History

What Is the UGX (Ugandan Shilling)?

UGX is the foreign exchange code for the Ugandan shilling, the national foreign exchange for the Republic of Uganda, even supposing the logo USh is used to represent the foreign exchange in the neighborhood. Up until 2013, the Ugandan shilling used to be as soon as divisible into 100 cents. After 2013, the shilling transform is the smallest unit of foreign exchange used and cents have been abandoned.

Revaluation of the foreign exchange came about in 1987.​​​​​​​ As of February 2021, 1 U.S. dollar is equal to spherical 3,660 UGX.

Key Takeaways

  • The Ugandan shilling trades beneath foreign exchange code UGX, and is the dependable foreign exchange of the African nation Uganda.
  • UGX is a unfastened floating foreign exchange, first issued in 1966 and then revalued at a rate of 100:1 for the new Ugandan shilling in 1987.
  • Agriculture drives the indebted Ugandan financial machine, with coffee being thought to be one among its primary export.

Investopedia / Sabrina Jiang


Understanding the Uganda Shilling (UGX)

Prior to 1966, the East African International cash Board handled monetary protection for the rustic and the country used the standard East African shilling as foreign exchange, along with plenty of neighboring countries. With the arrival of the Monetary establishment of Uganda (BoU) in 1966, financial possible choices transferred to the new central monetary establishment, and the rustic introduced the country’s first dependable foreign exchange. 

The Monetary establishment of Uganda is the only entity with the most productive to mint, distribute, or ruin foreign exchange in Uganda. Money have denominations of one, two, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 shillings, while banknotes have denominations of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, and 50,000 shillings. 

The main issue Ugandan shilling (UGS), used to be as soon as introduced in 1966 and adjusted the East African shilling at par. In 1987, the government issued a brand spanking new shilling which won the foreign exchange symbol of UGX. The new shilling used to be as soon as valued at 100 earlier shillings. The Ugandan Shilling is floating towards other currencies.

In 2010, the Monetary establishment of Uganda circulated an issue of shilling banknotes with enhanced safety features and images depicting the rustic’s history and custom. Even supposing the new shilling is a cast foreign exchange and used in most money transactions in Uganda, the U.S. dollar (USD), Great Britain pound (GBP), and the euro (EUR) moreover see use inside the nation.

Uganda’s History in Transient

Uganda is a landlocked nation in East Africa in a house known as the African Great Lakes house. The country has a very a lot of population consisting of dozens of specific individual ethnic groups. It boasts fertile land which is rich in natural assets. This lush landscape would perhaps explain why it used to be as soon as dubbed “the pearl of Africa” by the use of Winston Churchill after he visited the realm while the country used to be as soon as beneath British rule. The rustic’s financial machine is primarily based on agriculture.

The arena used to be as soon as a British protectorate between 1894 and 1962, after they won independence. Following independence, the rustic professional a time of civil fight and other conflicts at the side of a six-year guerrilla fight. The ones conflicts led to many deaths. A disagreement between tribal groups all the way through the manager and the Buganda kingdom marred the early years of independence. This instability all the way through the manager ended in a military coup in 1971 led by the use of Major Elementary Idi Amin. Amin’s dictatorship carried out mass murders, and a number of fled the country.

The restoration of criminal rule were given right here in 1979 when neighboring Tanzania assisted exiles in overthrowing the dictator. Ongoing birthday celebration disputes all the way through the rustic’s governmental development and corruption have persisted to handcuff the country’s growth.

In 2012, the Ecu Union (EU), Germany, United Kingdom, and other countries removed help to Uganda after the embezzlement of $13 million in donated value vary which were meant to help the rustic’s most impoverished house. Many nations condemn Uganda’s poor file on human rights, torture, and child hard work practices. 

The Ugandan Monetary machine

Agriculture is basically an important monetary earner for Uganda, with coffee being some of the primary vegetation. Most of the population are subsistence farmers. The country has oil and gas assets, alternatively they contribute little to the commercial machine. The parents of Uganda are some of the poorest on this planet, which has ended in beneath education.

In line with World Monetary establishment wisdom, Uganda is a intently indebted country. The country professional 2.9% annual inflation in 2019. Uganda’s gross house product (GDP) growth rate used to be as soon as 6.8% in 2019 alternatively best 2.9% in 2020 as a result of the global crisis.

UGX in Forex Purchasing and promoting

Think that the USD/UGX rate is 3,671. This means it costs USh3,671 to buy one USD. If the rate have been to increase to a few,900, that would possibly suggest the UGX has out of place value relative to the USD, as it now calls for added UGX to buy one USD. If the rate have been to drop to a few,500, it would take fewer shillings to buy a USD, so the UGX better in value.

To be informed the way in which many US greenbacks a single shilling will acquire, divide one by the use of the USD/UGX rate. This produces a lot of 0.00027, which is the UGX/USD rate.

If the EUR/UGX rate is 4,008, that means it costs USh4,008 to buy one euro.

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