Swiss franc
Worldwide use:
- Switzerland
- Liechtenstein
- Campione d'Italia
- Büsingen am Hochrhein
- Germany
Description:
The Swiss Franc is the official currency of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also used in the region of Campione d’Italia in Italy as well as in Büsingen am Hochrhein of Germany. One Swiss Franc is worth 100 Centimes, also known as Rappen in German and Centesimo in Italian. Coins come in 5, 10 and 20 Swiss Centimes as well as ½, 1, 2 and 5 Swiss Francs. Banknotes are available in 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1000 Swiss Francs. As a reserve currency, the Swiss Franc is ranked 4th in value in the world at the time of writing.
The Swiss Franc is the only type of franc still used in Europe and the symbol "CH" means "Confoederatio Helvetica" which means "Swiss Confederation" in Latin. The Swiss National Bank states that as of 2012, there were 358.2 million banknotes and 5 billion coins in circulation. These have a combined value of 57.6 billion Swiss Francs.
Origin:
Before the Helvetic Republic and Swiss Confederation, Switzerland consisted of 26 different cantons or districts, each of which had its own currency. This meant that there were over 8000 different coins and banknotes in circulation in 1850. Following formation of the Swiss Confederation in 1848, uniting the 26 cantons, the Swiss Franc was introduced across all of the regions in 1850. Since its launch, the Swiss Franc has been considered a strong, hard currency with only one devaluation during the Great Depression. Inflation has been insignificant and the currency was backed by gold reserves right up until 2000.
Component units:
- Rappen (German), Centime (French), Centesimo (Italian), Rap (Romansh) (100)
Date introduced:
- 7 May 1850
Central bank:
- Swiss National Bank
Printer:
- Orell Füssli Arts Graphiques SA (Zürich)
Mint:
- Swiss Mint