Montecaran libra

Montecaran libra

lìbra Montecarà (Montecaran)
A currently issued 50-libra note
ISO 4217
Unit
Plural	librà
Symbol	Ł‎
Denominations
Subunit
1/12 1/100	ònçia (historic) çèntima (electronic only)
Plural
ònçia (historic) çèntima (electronic only)	onçià çentimà
Symbol
ònçia (historic) çèntima (electronic only)	ø none
Banknotes
Freq. used	Ł20, Ł50, Ł100, Ł200, Ł500
Rarely used	Ł1,000
Coins
Freq. used	Ł1, Ł2, Ł5, Ł10
Demographics
User(s)	Montecara
Issuance
Central bank	Bànca de Montecara
Website	banca.go.mc
Valuation
Inflation	1.80%
Source	Secretariat of Finance (Q4 2019)
Pegged with	Euclo (EUC)
Value	1 EUC = 5.10 MCL

The Montecaran libra is the official currency of Montecara, issued by the Bànca de Montecara. It is pegged to the value of the euclo at the rate of 1 EUC to 5.10 MCL.

History

The libra is ultimately derived from the troy pound of silver that formed the basis of the monetary system in the Solarian Republic; the name “libra” is in fact the Solarian word for “pound.” From classical times to 1870, the libra was on the silver standard; between then and 1951, it was on a bimetallic gold and silver standard, where the price of gold was periodically readjusted to the price of silver. The convertibility of the libra to gold ended in 1982; the Bànca de Montecara chose to adopt a fixed exchange rate to the euclo upon its debut in 1995.

Until 1982, the libra was subdivided into 12 onçià and each ònçia was in turn divided into 30 scrupi. Thus, the libra was equal to 360 scrupi. After decimalization, the libra was divided into 100 çentimà instead, though the unit exists for electronic transfers only and has never been produced in physical money.

Exchange rate

The Bànca de Montecara, Montecara's central bank, sets the rate of exchange between the libra and the euclo. It was last changed on 1 July 2002, when it was lowered from 1 EUC = 5.25 MCL to the current 5.10 MCL.

The Bànca has described a number of advantages that Montecara obtains from having a fixed exchange rate to the euclo, including:

• Fiscal predictability thanks to a libra that is tied to a stable reserve currency
• The ability of the state to buy commodities on the international market at competitive prices
• Stable terms of trade with Montecara's most important trading partner

Economists have conversely noted that, because Montecara does not impose capital controls because of its important financial sector, the fixed exchange rate leaves it with little to no control over its monetary policy. Because of the fixed exchange rate, the Bànca must hold the equivalent value in euclo to all libra in circulation. This means that Montecara is an aggressive purchaser of Euclean government debt, and that Euclean bonds form the bulk of the Bànca's foreign reserve portfolio.

Coins

Image	Value	∅	Description
			Obverse	Reverse
	Ł1	20 mm	Denomination, bank mark, and year	Heraldic arms of Saint Stephen
	Ł2	22.4 mm	Denomination, bank mark, and year	Wreath of coral and trident
	Ł5	25 mm	Denomination, bank mark, and year	Scallop shell and waves
	Ł10	28 mm	Denomination, bank mark, and year	Coat of arms of Montecara

Banknotes

Image		Value	Dimensions (mm)
		Ł50	135 × 82
		Ł100	165 × 106
		Ł200	181 × 115
		Ł500	200 × 125
		Ł1,000	216 × 131