The guaranà(, plural: guaranÃÂes; sign: â²; code: PYG) is the national currency unit of Paraguay. The guaranàis divided into 100 céntimos, but because of inflation, céntimos coins are no longer in use.
The currency sign is ; if unavailable, "Gs." is used.
The law creating the guaranàwas passed on 5 October 1943, and replaced the peso fuerte at a rate of â²1 = 100 pesos fuertes. GuaranÃÂes were first issued in 1944. Between 1960 and 1985, the guaranàwas pegged to the United States dollar at â²126 = US$1.
The guaranàis currently one of the least valued currency units in the Americas, US$1 being equivalent as of March 2026, to â²6,500.
In 2011, plans were released under which the Paraguayan guaranÃÂ would be revalued as the Nuevo guaranÃÂ ("New guaranÃÂ") (PYN) at the rate of 1,000:1.
From day 1 there would be a conversion at the rate of â²1,000 = Nâ²1 ("nuevo guaranÃÂ"). After a two-year transition period (with Nâ² as the currency sign), new banknotes with the lower value would be introduced, re-using the name guaranà(â²) for the lower value.
However, due to possible confusion and problems with the projects, it is currently suspended.
In 1944, aluminum-bronze coins were introduced in denominations of 1â, 5â, 10â, 25â and 50â. All were round shaped. The obverses featured a flower with "Republica del Paraguay" and the date surrounding it, except for the 50â, which featured the lion and Liberty cap insignia. The denomination was shown on the reverses.
First series:
The second issue, introduced in 1953, consisted of 10â, 15â, 25â, and 50â coins. All were minted in aluminium-bronze again, but were scallop-shaped and featured the lion and Liberty cap on the obverse. Céntimo coins ceased to be legal tender in 1966, leaving Paraguay without any circulating coins for its currency.
In 1975, coins were introduced in denominations of â²1, â²5, â²10, and â²50, all of which were round and made of stainless steel. Since 1990, stainless steel has been replaced by nickel-brass and/or brass-plated steel. â²100 coins were introduced in 1990, followed by â²500 in 1997. â²1,000 coins were minted in 2006 and released in 2007.
â²1, â²5, â²10, â²50, â²100, and â²500 coins minted before 2005 lost their legal tender status on 8 January 2014.
The first guaranànotes were of 50â, â²1, â²5, and â²10 overstamped on $P50, $P100, $P500, and $P1,000 in 1943. Regular guaranànotes for â²1, â²5, â²10, â²50, â²100, â²500 and â²1,000, soon followed. They were printed by De La Rue.
The 1963 series (under the law of 1952) was a complete redesign. The lineup also expanded upward with the addition of â²5,000 and â²10,000. The 1982 revision added denominations in the Guaranàlanguage to the reverses.
The first â²50,000 notes were issued in 1990, followed by â²100,000 in 1998.
Starting from 2004, the existing denominations, except â²50,000, underwent small but easily noticeable changes, such as a more sophisticated and borderless underprint and enhanced security features. Giesecke & Devrient print the new â²20,000 note, while De La Rue prints the rest. In 2009, the Central Bank launched the first â²2,000 polymer-made notes, which makes the notes more durable than the traditional cotton-fiber notes.
New â²50,000 notes of series C have been printed with the date of 2005, but as they obviously reached circulation by criminal ways before being launched officially, this series has been declared void and worthless by the central bank and notes of â²1,000 and series A and B of â²50,000 were demonetized in 2012.
A new â²5,000 note has been released. The â²5,000 was put into circulation on January 14, 2013. This note has been printed by The Canadian Bank Note Company. Such security features include a see through window in the shape of a locomotive, a watermark of the portrait. However this note will still bear the portrait of Don Carlos Antonio Lopez, the reverse will also have the same design of Lopez's Palace.
â²10,000 as well as â²20,000 notes are produced by Polish Security Printing Works ().
On December 22, 2016, new â²20,000, â²50,000 and â²100,000 notes were introduced with upgraded security.