Short answer
Paraguay's currency is the guaraní (symbol ₲, ISO code PYG). The Banco Central del Paraguay (BCP), the central bank, issues 6 banknotes, from ₲2,000 to ₲100,000, and 4 coins, from ₲50 to ₲1,000. Its reference rate for October 6, 2026 is ₲5,850.05 to 1 US dollar and ₲6,588.91 to 1 euro. On October 5, 2026, the BCP presented a new family of banknotes: current notes stay valid and will circulate alongside the new ones. Sources read on October 7, 2026.
Banknotes in circulation
| Banknote | About, in US dollars | Valid series | First issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₲2,000 | 0.34 USD | A to D | 2009 |
| ₲5,000 | 0.85 USD | A to J | 1963 |
| ₲10,000 | 1.71 USD | A to J | 1963 |
| ₲20,000 | 3.42 USD | A to H | 2006 |
| ₲50,000 | 8.55 USD | D to J | 1990 |
| ₲100,000 | 17.09 USD | A to L | 1998 |
The BCP states that all these series are in circulation and valid for any payment (document dated December 2025). For the ₲50,000 note, it lists only series D to J.
The ₲2,000 notes and, since 2011, the ₲5,000 notes are polymer; all notes measure 15.6 cm by 6.7 cm, according to the state news agency Agencia IP (October 5, 2023), which also gives the year each value was first issued. Dollar equivalents use the BCP reference rate for October 6, 2026.
Coins
The BCP counts 4 coins in circulation as of September 30, 2026: ₲50, ₲100, ₲500 and ₲1,000. The ₲100 coin is the most common, with 395 million units. The ₲1,000 coin replaced the note of the same value in 2009, when the ₲2,000 note arrived (Agencia IP). The law divides the guaraní into 100 céntimos, but no coin is worth less than ₲50 and ISO 4217 gives this currency no decimals.
New family of banknotes
The BCP presented a new family of banknotes on October 5, 2026, the guaraní's 83rd anniversary. It keeps the 6 values, from ₲2,000 to ₲100,000, with new designs, more security features and markers for people with visual impairments. Current notes stay valid and will circulate alongside the new ones while these are introduced gradually, reports the Ministry of Labour, which attended the ceremony.
No withdrawal date appears in the sources we read. The BCP's organic law (Ley 489/95, article 42) provides that replaced notes keep legal tender for 1 year after the last publication of the decision, then can be exchanged at face value for 3 years at the BCP and its authorised agents.
Exchange rate
| Currency | BCP reference rate for 1 unit, October 6, 2026 |
|---|---|
| US dollar (USD) | ₲5,850.05 |
| Euro (EUR) | ₲6,588.91 |
| Brazilian real (BRL) | ₲1,176.22 |
| Argentine peso (ARS) | ₲3.85 |
| Pound sterling (GBP) | ₲7,769.45 |
The dollar reference rate is the weighted average of interbank trades made from 8:30 to 13:00 on the business day concerned; rates for other currencies are derived from it by arbitrage. The BCP publishes these rates daily.
Exchange is free: under Ley 489/95 (article 47), anyone may carry out an exchange transaction and the rate is agreed between the parties. Each exchange house therefore sets its own buying and selling rates; our ranking compares the ones they publish in Asunción. A contract made in a foreign currency is valid and enforceable in that currency (article 51).
The guaraní at a glance
- Code: PYG, number 600, no decimals (ISO 4217, list of September 17, 2026).
- Creation: Decreto-Ley N° 655 of October 5, 1943 established the guaraní, at 1 guaraní for 100 pesos fuertes.
- Issuer: only the BCP issues notes and coins, accepted at face value and without any limit on the amount throughout the country (Ley 489/95, article 39).
- Exchange: the BCP swaps its notes and coins on demand and free of charge for others of the same value, and may delegate this to financial institutions (article 40).
- Damaged note: the BCP no longer exchanges it if it has lost more than 2/5 of its surface or cannot be identified (article 42).