pound sterling

Also known as GBP, British pound, pound, £, quid, sterling, Great British pound, pence

official currency of the United Kingdom and other territories

AI overview

The pound sterling is the official money used in the United Kingdom and several other territories around the world. It matters because it's one of the world's major currencies and is central to the UK's economy and international trade.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: One Pound 1983 obverse.jpg

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unit symbol: £
P8168: Robert Bosch Jr.
Commons category: Pound Sterling
start time: 1694-07-27
price: 1.246643
conversion to standard unit: 1.434720229555237
short name: GBP (£)
native label: Pound Sterling

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Article

Sterling (symbol: £; currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories and formerly of the Kingdom of England. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and the word pound is also used to refer to the British currency generally, often qualified in international contexts as the British pound or the pound sterling.

Sterling is the world's oldest currency in continuous use since its inception. In 2022, it was the fourth-most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen. Together with those three currencies and the renminbi, it forms the basket of currencies that calculate the value of IMF special drawing rights. As of late 2022, sterling is also the fourth most-held reserve currency in global reserves.