By the Investfora Research Desk — written to our editorial standards; every stated fact links to its source.
ECB fixings show Australian and New Zealand dollars rise, rand strengthens on 21 August 2026
The European Central Bank's reference rates for 21 August 2026 indicate gains for commodity-linked currencies against the US dollar alongside mixed moves in major pairs and crosses.
Commodity-linked currencies
The Australian dollar rose against the US dollar, with the ECB reference rate fixing AUD/USD at 0.7168 on 21 August 2026, up 0.87 per cent from 20 August (ECB eurofxref). The New Zealand dollar also gained, with NZD/USD set at 0.5987, a 0.75 per cent increase on the previous day’s fixing (ECB eurofxref). The South African rand firmed as USD/ZAR fell to 16.004, down 1.05 per cent from 20 August (ECB eurofxref).
Major US dollar pairs
The euro was fixed at 1.1699 against the US dollar, up 0.15 per cent (ECB reference rates). Sterling rose 0.22 per cent to 1.3656 (ECB reference rates). The dollar weakened 0.04 per cent versus the yen to 158.7 (ECB reference rates), but gained 0.06 per cent against the Swiss franc to 0.7995 (ECB reference rates). The Canadian dollar strengthened as USD/CAD dropped 0.22 per cent to 1.374 (ECB reference rates). The Singapore dollar advanced with USD/SGD down 0.3 per cent to 1.2683 (ECB reference rates).
Photo: Olha Maltseva via Pexels.
Euro and sterling cross rates
The euro slipped 0.06 per cent against sterling to 0.8567 (ECB reference rates). Against the yen, the euro was fixed at 185.66, up 0.11 per cent (ECB reference rates). The sterling-yen cross rate derived from the fixings stood at 216.72, a 0.18 per cent increase (ECB reference rates). The euro strengthened 0.21 per cent versus the Swiss franc to 0.9353 (ECB reference rates), but weakened 0.25 per cent against the Polish zloty to 4.3078 (ECB reference rates).
Frequently asked questions
What was the ECB reference rate for AUD/USD on 21 August 2026?
Photo: Gergely Meszárcsek via Pexels.
The ECB reference rate fixing for AUD/USD was 0.7168 on 21 August 2026, up 0.87 per cent from 20 August.
How did the New Zealand dollar perform against the US dollar on 21 August 2026?
NZD/USD was fixed at 0.5987, a 0.75 per cent increase from the previous day.
What was the USD/ZAR rate on 21 August 2026?
USD/ZAR fell to 16.004, down 1.05 per cent from 20 August, indicating the rand firmed.
How did the euro perform against the US dollar?
The euro was fixed at 1.1699 against the US dollar, up 0.15 per cent.
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