Euro's use in international payments at 3-year low, Yuan's at 5 month high

By Anya Andrianova and Alex Tanzi

The euro’s use for international payments dropped in April to the lowest in three years as those using the US dollar ticked up and the Chinese yuan’s share rose to the highest in five months. 
 

Data from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, or SWIFT, showed the proportion of cross-border transactions involving Europe’s common currency fell to 31.74% of the total in April from 32.64% in March. Dollar usage climbed further to 42.71% from 41.74%.

The share of the dollar continued to expand following the collapse of several US lenders and concerns around Switzerland’s Credit Suisse Group AG that ultimately led to its acquisition by UBS Group AG. Even with its most recent drop, the euro is still the second-ranked currency globally for payments on SWIFT.

The share of yen in the payments reversed after a spike in March. It was at 3.51% in April after 4.78% in March, the report said.