Blue and official dollar prices on Friday
On Friday, October 23, 2026, the informal dollar traded at 1,545 pesos for buyers and 1,565 pesos for sellers, according to the daily market report. The official rate published by Banco Nación for the same day was 1,500 pesos on the buying side and 1,550 pesos on the selling side. The two quotes sit close together, though the parallel market price remains slightly higher than the bank rate.[S1]
The blue dollar is the currency traded outside banks and authorized exchange houses, which is why it is described as operating in the black market and typically carrying a higher value than the official rate. Its price closes at the same time as the official quote, at 3 p.m., from Monday to Friday. The origin of the name has several explanations, including an association with the English word for dark and a link to so-called blue chip companies.[S1]
Other exchange rates reported in early trading
A live report published at 4:06 a.m. listed the official dollar at 1,550 pesos, the blue at 1,565, the card dollar at 2,015, the MEP at 1,549.95, the CCL at 1,640.65 and the crypto dollar at 1,641.10. The card rate is made up of the official price plus a 30 percent withholding as an income-tax advance, a surcharge that reached 60 percent until December 22, 2024. That rate applies to purchases of goods and services abroad made with credit or debit cards, including streaming subscriptions.[S2]
Understand this article deeper
The CCL rate comes from operations in which investors buy Argentine securities locally and sell them abroad to obtain foreign currency for saving purposes. The crypto dollar, meanwhile, allows access to foreign currency through cryptocurrencies, and stablecoins such as Dai, Tether and USD Coin are pegged to the US dollar, offering relative stability in a highly fluctuating market. Operating outside the traditional exchange market and without regulation, this option is described as riskier and more speculative for investors seeking a hedge against inflation and economic turbulence.[S2]
How to buy dollars and operate with the MEP rate
Since exchange controls were lifted on April 14, 2025, individuals may buy dollars at banks without a limit, provided they hold both a peso account and a dollar account to carry out the transaction. Under Banco Central resolutions, bank users must notify the institution 48 hours in advance only when making a purchase above US$100,000. Anyone buying cash at a counter is limited to 100 physical dollars.[S2]
Buying MEP dollars can be done through home banking and other financial applications. The process begins with opening an account on a platform that allows such operations, then transferring pesos to the investment account from the user's bank. When trading, the user selects the MEP option and enters the amount to invest, and the resulting sum is deposited automatically and immediately in the investor's dollar account, since the regulator eliminated the parking requirement.[S2]
