Frequently Asked Questions

The official exchange rate is set or sanctioned by a country's central bank. It is used for government transactions, formal banking, and import/export calculations. It typically represents the 'floor' price for foreign currency exchange.

The parallel rate, sometimes called the black market or unofficial rate, is the rate at which foreign currency is traded outside official banking channels. It emerges when official supply cannot meet real demand, creating a premium above the central bank rate.

A large spread indicates significant currency market fragmentation. Causes include strict capital controls, limited dollar supply, high import demand, economic instability, and remittance flows that cannot be absorbed by official channels.

SARF updates rates multiple times daily from regional market intelligence sources. Each rate page displays the last update timestamp so you know exactly how fresh the data is.

Countries with the highest spreads include Yemen (due to ongoing conflict), Syria (long-term crisis), and Lebanon (post-2019 financial collapse). Egypt and Turkey have also seen significant spreads at times due to monetary policy pressures.

MENA currency crises are typically triggered by: a combination of import-dependent economies, oil price shocks (for non-producers), political instability, fiscal deficits, loss of foreign reserves, and external debt pressures.

Legality varies by country. Some countries strictly prohibit unofficial exchange, while others tolerate it. SARF provides rate information for reference only — always check local laws before conducting any currency exchange.

SARF (صرف) means 'exchange' in Arabic. The platform provides premium exchange intelligence for the MENA region, tracking official and parallel rates for all major MENA currencies.

Visit the Compare page (/compare) to select any two countries and view a side-by-side chart of their exchange rates. You can also visit individual currency pair pages like /usd-to-egp for focused analysis.

SARF is currently available as a premium web application at ex.app2mob.com. Native mobile apps for iOS and Android are in development.

Yes. SARF provides a developer API for accessing official and parallel exchange rate data. Visit /api for documentation and access information.