ETB black market rate on Oct 16, 2026: 191.51 per USD
On Friday, October 16, 2026, the US dollar traded at about 191.51 ETB on Ethiopia's parallel (black) market at the close of observations. The day opened at 191.54 ETB, reached a high of 192.54 and a low of 191.3, a trading range of 1.24 ETB (0.65%).
Across 288 observations, the average price to buy dollars was 191.95 ETB and the average price received when selling dollars was 193.67 ETB. Over the session the Ethiopian Birr was broadly flat against the dollar (-0.02% from open to close).
Official rate vs black market rate on Oct 16, 2026
The official exchange rate published for Ethiopia on this date was 161.55 ETB per USD. The parallel-market close of 191.51 ETB therefore implied a premium of +18.54% over the official rate — a wide gap that typically signals dollar shortages in the formal banking system.
How Oct 16, 2026 compares
Compared with the previous observed day (Oct 15, 2026, close 191.54 ETB), the rate moved -0.02%.
One week earlier (Oct 9, 2026) the close was 190.82 ETB, so the weekly change was +0.36%.
How this daily figure is produced
ETCurrency samples Ethiopia's USD/ETB parallel market throughout the day from peer-to-peer stablecoin order books and, where available, community submissions. Each sample is filtered for outliers and aggregated into a single buy and sell quote; the figures above are the first, highest, lowest and last of those aggregated quotes for Oct 16, 2026 (UTC).
USDT peer-to-peer prices closely track cash dollar prices in most parallel markets but are not identical to them: payment-method fees, merchant margins and local demand for stablecoins can all add a few tenths of a percent.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the dollar to Ethiopian Birr black market rate on Oct 16, 2026?
- The USD to ETB parallel market rate closed at approximately 191.51 ETB per US dollar on Friday, October 16, 2026, after trading between 191.3 and 192.54 ETB.
- How much did the ETB move against the dollar that day?
- From an open of 191.54 to a close of 191.51 ETB, the parallel rate moved -0.02% on Oct 16, 2026.
- What was the gap between the official and black market ETB rate on that date?
- The official rate was 161.55 ETB per USD versus a parallel close of 191.51 ETB, a premium of +18.54%.
- Was the ETB black market rate higher or lower than the day before?
- Lower: the previous observed close was 191.54 ETB on Oct 15, 2026, a change of -0.02%.
Figures are aggregated parallel-market observations for Ethiopia in UTC and are indicative only; they are not a quote to trade. See the full USD → Ethiopian Birr history or today's live rate.