Euro to Pound Exchanges: EUR to GBP rates


From To

Euro
Symbol:
Currency code: EUR
Units: One Euro = 100 cents (c)
Central bank: European Central Bank (ECB)

EUR is the currency of 17 countries within the European Union, known as the eurozone. These are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Spain, Cyprus and Malta.

GBP British pound sterling
Symbol: £
Currency code: GBP
Units: One Pound = 100 pence (p)
Also known as: Sterling, quid
Central bank: Bank of England

GBP is the currency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

Why does EUR/GBP move in value?

The EUR to GBP rate is affected by economic and political news that points to a weakening or strengthening in the British or European economies.

Interest rates – the Bank of England (BoE) sets interest rates for the UK and the European Central Bank (ECB) sets them for the Eurozone, each making an announcement once a month, in usual times. The days surrounding a rate decision can see GBP/EUR move.

Economic data – Economic data released by governments and other organisations are used as an indication of the strength of economies, and well as future trends.

Politics and events – Political news that threatens to destabilise or make business more difficult, such as Brexit and the pandemic, are likely to weaken a currency.

EUR/GBP exchanges

The euro is the second most-traded currency in the world and the pound sterling is fourth most traded.

EUR/GBP can be bought at any time, but is most commonly traded between 6am and 4pm GMT. These are the hours when we see most movement in the currency pairing.

You can call Smart Currency Exchange on 0808 163 0102 between 8am and 6pm to make a trade.

Alternatively, use our online trading platform.

Taking the risk out of your currency exchange

When making a transaction into another that takes place on one day, a spot contract will normally be the simplest option.

If, however, your GBP/EUR transaction will take a period of time to complete – such as a property purchase which normally takes up to three months, or a regular payment from a private pension that funds your lifestyle overseas, it is often most sensible to lock in your rate with a forward contract.

A forward contract fixes your GBP/EUR rate for up to a year ahead, ensuring that if the pound weakens before you complete on the payment, you won’t be left out of pocket.

EUR/GBP historical data

Since the euro became a currency on 1 January 1999 it has, overall, gradually strengthened against sterling. Between 2000 and 2007 you could buy between £0.60 and £0.70 for every euro. Since then it has generally traded between £0.85 and £0.90.

Although the euro had gained in strength since its inception anyway, two developments severely strengthened EUR/GBP. These were the global financial crisis of 2008/9 and the Brexit referendum in mid-2016.

Between these two there was a brief period in 2015 when the pound had the upper hand during the Greek debt crisis.