The Algerian dinar exchange rate on the country’s informal currency market remained broadly stable on Sunday, September 20, with the euro reported at 277 dinars while the US dollar edged up to 238 dinars, according to TSA Algérie.
The figures refer to the parallel foreign-exchange market centered on Algiers’ Square Port Saïd and are not official Bank of Algeria quotations. TSA reported that the euro was unchanged from a week earlier, while the dollar had gained 1.5 dinars from 236.5 DZD.
The informal rates remain far above Algeria’s official exchange rate. Bank of Algeria data for Friday, September 18, put the euro at 153.5240 DZD and the dollar at 133.6444 DZD. A day earlier, the official euro rate stood at 154.1736 DZD, while the dollar was 133.6456 DZD.
Algerian dinar exchange rate gap remains wide
The difference between the formal and informal markets continues to be one of the most visible features of Algeria’s currency system.
At the parallel rate reported by TSA on Sunday, one euro cost about 123 dinars more than at the central bank’s September 18 quotation. The dollar showed a similarly large gap, with the reported informal rate of 238 DZD compared with an official rate of about 133.64 DZD.
TSA also reported that the parallel-market euro and dollar remained below the recent thresholds of 280 DZD and 240 DZD respectively. The outlet said the euro was quoted at 275 DZD and the dollar at 239 DZD on August 9, during the summer travel season. Those informal-market figures cannot be independently confirmed through official data because the Bank of Algeria does not publish parallel-market quotations.
The source characterized demand for foreign currency as still significant despite the recent stability in street-market prices.
Minimum wage highlights the scale of the difference
The gap has a direct effect on how incomes translate into foreign currency outside the official banking system.
Algeria’s guaranteed national minimum wage is 24,000 DZD per month. Presidential Decree No. 26-01, published in the Official Journal in January 2026, raised the statutory minimum to that level from January 1.
At the 277 DZD per euro rate reported by TSA, 24,000 dinars is equivalent to roughly €87. That comparison illustrates the purchasing-power difference created by the parallel rate, although actual household access to foreign currency depends on how and where currency is obtained.
TSA suggested that tighter import conditions and stronger action against over-invoicing and under-invoicing have reduced some demand from importers who previously relied on the informal market to finance purchases abroad. Algeria has introduced and maintained rules governing foreign-exchange transactions and import financing, including new financial-capacity requirements for certain import operations in 2026.
However, the specific effect of those measures on parallel-market trading volumes is not established by official data, so the claimed link between the regulations and recent exchange-rate stability remains an interpretation rather than a confirmed causal relationship.
For now, the latest official figures show little movement in the dollar and a modest daily decline in the euro, while TSA’s reporting indicates similarly limited movement in the informal market. The two markets nevertheless remain separated by a substantial exchange-rate gap.
Sami B. is the founder and editor of Algeria News Gate, an independent English-language platform covering Algeria’s political, economic, and business developments. Based in Europe, he reports on official announcements, economic trends, and international relations involving Algeria.