The commercial Swiss franc rate with the time it was taken, a two-way converter and the amounts a trip to Switzerland actually needs.
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The franc is the currency people reach for when they stop trusting the others. Switzerland stayed out of the wars that reshaped Europe, kept inflation low for generations, runs a current account surplus and hosts a banking system built to receive foreign money — so when a crisis breaks anywhere, capital moves to francs almost by reflex. That reputation is also the problem: a currency everyone buys in bad times becomes expensive, and an expensive franc hurts the exporters of watches, pharmaceuticals and machines that pay Swiss wages.
Which is why the Swiss National Bank did something in September 2011 that central banks almost never do. With money flooding in from the euro crisis, it announced a floor — the franc would not be allowed past 1,20 per euro — and promised to buy unlimited foreign currency to defend it. It held that line for more than three years. Then, on 15 January 2015, without warning, it let go. The franc jumped by roughly a third within minutes, Swiss shares collapsed on the day, and several currency brokers around the world went under because their clients ended up owing more than they had deposited. It is the textbook case of a defended level being abandoned. The same bank later ran negative interest rates from 2015 to 2022, charging depositors to hold francs, for the same reason: to make the currency less attractive.
For a Brazilian the practical side is mostly travel or study, and two things catch people out. Switzerland is in Europe but not in the European Union and does not use the euro, so euros brought from a neighbouring country are either refused or taken at a rate the shop sets, always a bad one. And it is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so converting before booking is not pedantry. The value at the top is the commercial rate, refreshed every half hour with the time of the quote beside it — a reference, not a price. Franc banknotes are less commonly stocked in Brazil than dollars or euros, the spread is wider, and the IOF comes on top.
From the market feed for the franc against the real, saved here by a job that runs every 30 minutes, with the exact date and time of the quote under the value. The refresh button fetches the current one live from your browser. At weekends and on holidays the number does not move, because the market is closed.
Because this is the commercial rate, the wholesale reference. Banknotes carry the bureau spread plus IOF, and a card the operator spread plus IOF. Brazilian bureaus move far fewer francs than dollars or euros, so the spread is usually wider. Ask for the closed rate with everything included and compare it with the number above.
Sometimes, and it is a bad idea. Switzerland is not in the euro area; shops and hotels in tourist areas may take euros as a courtesy, but they set their own rate and give change in francs. Paying in francs by card or with cash withdrawn locally is almost always cheaper.
Because of a long record of political neutrality, low inflation and open capital markets, which sends money its way whenever risk rises elsewhere. That describes past behaviour and nothing more: it says nothing about what the currency will do next, and this page makes no forecast.
The Swiss National Bank dropped the floor of 1,20 francs per euro it had defended since 2011. The franc rose about thirty per cent within minutes and several currency brokers abroad became insolvent.
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