CHF – Swiss Franc

Sign – Fr / Code – CHF

Long before our corporate currency exchange brokers were helping our clients with their Swiss Franc transfers, the Swiss Franc was creating its own rich history.

About the Swiss Franc

Before the Swiss Franc was adopted in 1798, more than 860 different coins were in use throughout Switzerland. Even after its inception, more than 8000 different coins and notes continued to be in circulation. As a result, the government was forced to introduce the ‘Swiss Federal Constitution’ of 1848, which stated that the government was the only body allowed to make money in Switzerland.

Despite its tumultuous past, the Swiss Franc is the sixth most traded currency in the FX market. It is often seen as a ‘safe haven’ currency during financial crises due to its consistently low inflation, a reputation it has held since the 1940s.

Due to the multilingual nature of Switzerland, the subunit of the Swiss Franc goes by many different names (see below).

Denominations

Subunit: Rappen (German), Centime (French), Centesimo (Italian) and Rap (Romansh) 

Coins: ½Fr, 1Fr, 2Fr, 5Fr, CHF5, CHF10, CHF20

Banknotes: CHF10, CHF20, CHF50, CHF100, CHF200, CHF1000

Bank: Swiss National Bank