YER black market rate on Aug 16, 2026: 538 per USD
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, the US dollar traded at about 538 YER on Yemen's parallel (black) market at the close of observations. The day opened at 540 YER, reached a high of 542.6 and a low of 531, a trading range of 11.6 YER (2.18%).
Across 288 observations, the average price to buy dollars was 538.15 YER and the average price received when selling dollars was 545.87 YER. Over the session the Yemeni Rial strengthened against the dollar (-0.37% from open to close).
Official rate vs black market rate on Aug 16, 2026
The official exchange rate published for Yemen on this date was 237.15 YER per USD. The parallel-market close of 538 YER therefore implied a premium of +126.86% over the official rate — a wide gap that typically signals dollar shortages in the formal banking system.
How Aug 16, 2026 compares
Compared with the previous observed day (Aug 15, 2026, close 540 YER), the rate moved -0.37%.
One week earlier (Aug 9, 2026) the close was 535.57 YER, so the weekly change was +0.45%.
Thirty days earlier (Jul 17, 2026) the close was 537.5 YER, a +0.09% move over the month.
How this daily figure is produced
ETCurrency samples Yemen's USD/YER 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 Aug 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 Yemeni Rial black market rate on Aug 16, 2026?
- The USD to YER parallel market rate closed at approximately 538 YER per US dollar on Sunday, August 16, 2026, after trading between 531 and 542.6 YER.
- How much did the YER move against the dollar that day?
- From an open of 540 to a close of 538 YER, the parallel rate moved -0.37% on Aug 16, 2026.
- What was the gap between the official and black market YER rate on that date?
- The official rate was 237.15 YER per USD versus a parallel close of 538 YER, a premium of +126.86%.
- Was the YER black market rate higher or lower than the day before?
- Lower: the previous observed close was 540 YER on Aug 15, 2026, a change of -0.37%.
Figures are aggregated parallel-market observations for Yemen in UTC and are indicative only; they are not a quote to trade. See the full USD → Yemeni Rial history or today's live rate.