Daily foreign exchange operations by the Bank of England between 1952 and 1995. Copied from manuscript records at the Bank of England archive. There is a "read me" tab with more details on the data. The data is linked to the following publication which you can cite if using the data Naef, Alain. 2022. An Exchange Rate History of the United Kingdom: 1945–1992. Studies in Macroeconomic History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/an-exchange-rate-history-of-the-united-kingdom/68B7E57D9884394B815C76D48ACD3FB6. If you just want to use the data to run econometrics or as a control variable, there is a ready to use tab with the plain simple data. If you do so, be aware that Black Wednesday (16 September 1992) is an outlier by many standard deviations. If you want to dig more, there are more granular forms of data. The licence is public domain, so no restrictions whatsoever.

Graph and download economic data for U.S. Dollars to U.K. Pound Sterling Spot Exchange Rate (DEXUSUK) from 1971-01-04 to 2025-08-22 about United Kingdom, exchange rate, currency, rate, and USA.

The benchmark interest rate in the United Kingdom was last recorded at 4 percent. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Interest Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Canada Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average: End of Period: UK Pound Sterling data was reported at 1.724 CAD/GBP in Jan 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.744 CAD/GBP for Dec 2018. Canada Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average: End of Period: UK Pound Sterling data is updated monthly, averaging 1.709 CAD/GBP from Jan 2017 (Median) to Jan 2019, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.811 CAD/GBP in Mar 2018 and a record low of 1.616 CAD/GBP in Aug 2017. Canada Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average: End of Period: UK Pound Sterling data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.M009: Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average.

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Foreign Exchange Market Size 2025-2029

The foreign exchange market size is forecast to increase by USD 582 billion, at a CAGR of 10.6% between 2024 and 2029.

Major Market Trends & Insights

Europe dominated the market and accounted for a 47% growth during the forecast period.
By the Type - Reporting dealers segment was valued at USD 278.60 billion in 2023
By the Trade Finance Instruments - Currency swaps segment accounted for the largest market revenue share in 2023

Market Size & Forecast

Market Opportunities: USD 118.14 billion
Market Future Opportunities: USD 582.00 billion 
CAGR : 10.6%
Europe: Largest market in 2023

Market Summary

The Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, a global financial platform for exchanging one currency for another, is a dynamic and continuously evolving ecosystem. According to the Bank for International Settlements, daily trading volumes reached approximately USD6 trillion in April 2020, representing a significant portion of the world's financial transactions. This market's importance is underscored by its role in facilitating international trade, investment, and tourism. The Forex market's decentralized nature allows for 24/7 trading opportunities, making it an attractive proposition for businesses and investors seeking to manage currency risk or capitalize on price fluctuations. Despite the market's complexity, advanced technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, are increasingly being adopted to enhance trading strategies and improve risk management.
One significant trend is the increasing use of money transfer agencies, venture capital investments, and mutual funds in foreign exchange transactions. These tools enable real-time analysis of market trends and help forecast exchange rates, providing valuable insights for businesses operating in multiple currencies. The Forex market's influence extends beyond traditional financial sectors, with applications in various industries, including tourism, import/export, and international business. As businesses expand their global footprint and economies continue to interconnect, the role and significance of the Forex market are set to grow further.

What will be the Size of the Foreign Exchange Market during the forecast period?

Explore market size, adoption trends, and growth potential for foreign exchange market Request Free Sample

The market, a vital component of the global financial system, operates without fail, facilitating the conversion of one currency into another. According to recent data, approximately 6% of daily global trading volume is attributed to this market. Looking ahead, growth is projected to reach over 5% annually. Consider the following comparison: the average daily trading volume in the forex market exceeds that of the New York Stock Exchange by a significant margin. In 2020, the former recorded around USD 6 trillion, while the latter saw approximately USD 136 billion. This disparity underscores the market's immense scale and influence.
Moreover, the forex market's liquidity depth enables efficient price discovery, minimizing transaction security concerns and market impact costs. Automated trading bots and order book depth analysis are essential tools for market participants, allowing for effective backtesting strategies and fraud detection systems. Leverage ratios, transaction fees, and margin requirements are essential factors influencing market accessibility and profitability. High-frequency trading and the presence of liquidity providers contribute to market efficiency and statistical arbitrage opportunities. Regulatory compliance and brokerage services further ensure a secure trading environment. Despite payment processing fees and order flow imbalance, risk tolerance levels remain a crucial consideration for participants.

How is this Foreign Exchange Industry segmented?

The foreign exchange industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Type

  Reporting dealers
  Financial institutions
  Non-financial customers


Trade Finance Instruments

  Currency swaps
  Outright forward and FX swaps
  FX options


Trading Platforms

  Electronic Trading
  Over-the-Counter (OTC)
  Mobile Trading


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    Germany
    Switzerland
    UK


  Middle East and Africa

    UAE


  APAC

    China
    India
    Japan


  South America

    Brazil


  Rest of World (ROW)

By Type Insights

The reporting dealers segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

The market is a dynamic and intricate financial ecosystem where businesses and investors transact in various currencies to manage internationa

Canada Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average: UK Pound Sterling data was reported at 1.838 GBP/CAD in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.854 GBP/CAD for Mar 2025. Canada Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average: UK Pound Sterling data is updated monthly, averaging 1.711 GBP/CAD from Jan 2017 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 100 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.854 GBP/CAD in Mar 2025 and a record low of 1.507 GBP/CAD in Sep 2022. Canada Foreign Exchange Rate: Daily Average: UK Pound Sterling data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.M014: Foreign Exchange Rate.

As of December 2023, the number of companies trading on the London Stock Exchange stood at *****. These companies had a combined market capitalization of over *** trillion British pounds and over ******* daily average trades. Seen as the heart of the global financial community, it may not be surprising that the London Stock Exchange was home to a total of *** financial companies at the end of 2023, the largest number of any category. Market capitalization Market capitalization is the outstanding value of a company's shares and is often used to measure the size of a company and investors interest in a given enterprise. Market capital is calculated by multiplying the number of shares outstanding by the value of one share. Finance sectorIn terms of market capitalization, the largest financial company on the LSE was the UK headquartered bank HSBC Holdings Plc. The total market value of financial companies trading on the LSE totaled over ***** billion British pounds in December 2023.

As of December 2024, all United Kingdom government debt securities were returning positive yields, regardless of maturity. This places the yield of both UK short term bonds and long term bonds above that of major countries like Germany, France and Japan, but lower than the United States. What are government bonds? Government bonds are debt instruments where a certain amount of money is given to the issuer, in exchange for regular payments of interest over a fixed period. At the end of this period the issuer then returns the amount in full. Bonds differ from a regular loan through how they can be traded on financial markets once issued. This ability to trade bonds makes it more complex to measure the return investors receive from bonds, as the price they buy a bond for on the market may differ from the price the same bond was initially issued at. The yield is therefore calculated as what investors can expect to receive based on current market prices paid for the bond, not the value it was issued at. In total, UK government debt amounted to over 2.4 trillion British pounds in 2023 – with the majority being comprised of different types of UK government bonds. Why are inverted yield curves important? UK government bond yields over recent years have taken on a typical shape, with short term bonds having a lower yield than bonds with a maturity of 10 to 20 years. The higher yield of longer-term bonds compensates investors for the higher level of uncertainty in the future. However, if investors are sufficiently worried about both a short term economic decline, and low long term growth, they may prefer to purchase short term bonds in order to secure assets with regular interest payments in the here and now (as opposed to shares, which can lose a lot of value in a short time). This can lead to an inverted yield curve, where shorter term debt has a higher yield. Inverted yield curves are generally seen as a reliable indicator of a recession, with inverted yields occurring before most recent U.S. recessions. The major exception to this is the recession from the coronavirus pandemic – but even then, U.S. yield curves came perilously close to being inverted in mid-2019.

The yield on UK 20 Year Bond Yield rose to 5.49% on September 1, 2025, marking a 0.03 percentage point increase from the previous session. Over the past month, the yield has edged up by 0.29 points and is 0.99 points higher than a year ago, according to over-the-counter interbank yield quotes for this government bond maturity. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for UK 20Y.