People in Latvia can still exchange the former national currency, the lats (LVL), for the euro, and last year folks brought in LV 533,900 (EUR 759,700) in banknotes and coins and exchanged them for euros. LETA learned about this at the Latvian Central Bank.
Banknotes worth LVL 475,900 (EUR 677,100) and coins worth LVL 58,000 (EUR 82,500) were exchanged during the course of 2024. There were more than 2,300 exchange transactions in all.
By the end of 2024 40% of lats coins worth EUR 41.3 million and 96% of lats banknotes (EUR 1.342 billion) had been taken out of circulation. Banknotes and coins worth LVL 82.3 million (EUR 117.1 million) still have not been exchanged for euros. The coins that have not yet been turned in weigh a total of 778 tonnes.
Most of the coins that are still out there are low-denomination one- and two-santims coins. There are also 23.8 million one-lats coins that have not yet been exchanged for euros.
Latvia abandoned its national currency and switched to the euro on January 1, 2014.
Source: BNS
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