LKR black market rate on Jul 18, 2026: 341.05 per USD
On Saturday, July 18, 2026, the US dollar traded at about 341.05 LKR on Sri Lanka's parallel (black) market at the close of observations. The day opened at 336.24 LKR, reached a high of 346 and a low of 336.24, a trading range of 9.76 LKR (2.90%).
Across 288 observations, the average price to buy dollars was 343.72 LKR and the average price received when selling dollars was 345.43 LKR. Over the session the Sri Lankan Rupee weakened against the dollar (+1.43% from open to close).
Official rate vs black market rate on Jul 18, 2026
The official exchange rate published for Sri Lanka on this date was 336.16 LKR per USD. The parallel-market close of 341.05 LKR therefore implied a premium of +1.46% over the official rate — a narrow gap, indicating the two markets were close to converged.
How Jul 18, 2026 compares
Compared with the previous observed day (Jul 17, 2026, close 332.24 LKR), the rate moved +2.65%.
One week earlier (Jul 11, 2026) the close was 325.25 LKR, so the weekly change was +4.86%.
Thirty days earlier (Jun 18, 2026) the close was 326.08 LKR, a +4.59% move over the month.
How this daily figure is produced
ETCurrency samples Sri Lanka's USD/LKR 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 Jul 18, 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 Sri Lankan Rupee black market rate on Jul 18, 2026?
- The USD to LKR parallel market rate closed at approximately 341.05 LKR per US dollar on Saturday, July 18, 2026, after trading between 336.24 and 346 LKR.
- How much did the LKR move against the dollar that day?
- From an open of 336.24 to a close of 341.05 LKR, the parallel rate moved +1.43% on Jul 18, 2026.
- What was the gap between the official and black market LKR rate on that date?
- The official rate was 336.16 LKR per USD versus a parallel close of 341.05 LKR, a premium of +1.46%.
- Was the LKR black market rate higher or lower than the day before?
- Higher: the previous observed close was 332.24 LKR on Jul 17, 2026, a change of +2.65%.
Figures are aggregated parallel-market observations for Sri Lanka in UTC and are indicative only; they are not a quote to trade. See the full USD → Sri Lankan Rupee history or today's live rate.