{
  "id": 12564554,
  "title": "Morocco’s Dirham Drops 6.5% Against Dollar Since August",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/moroccos-dirham-drops-6-5-against-dollar-since-august",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-07T05:47:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/morocco-dirham-drops-dollar-euro-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Morocco's currency, the dirham, has weakened by 6.5% against the US dollar since the end of July, according to the country's central bank. This depreciation makes Moroccan holidays more affordable for Americans, while raising the cost of US goods sold in Morocco. The euro has also strengthened, rising to 11.2167 dirhams per euro, up 4.5% over the same period. The central bank's reference rate, which is the official daily average published for each currency, has reflected this trend. On July 31, the rate stood at 9.3241 dirhams per US dollar and 10.7377 dirhams per euro. The dirham's decline accelerated from mid-September, with the rate rising from 9.4741 dirhams per US dollar on September 15 to 9.9779 dirhams per US dollar on October 5. Morocco's dirham is not freely floating; instead, it is set at a central rate by Bank Al-Maghrib, which is based on a basket of 60% euro and 40% US dollar. The market rate can fluctuate up to 5% around this central rate. The bank has widened the band from 0.3% to 2.5% in 2018 and to 5% in March 2020. The reference rate sits about 2% below the lowest level the band allows. The strengthening US dollar and rising euro due to interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have contributed to the dirham's weakness. Morocco's trade deficit also widened to 282.6 billion dirhams (about US$28.3 billion) from January to August, driven by a 15.8% increase in imports and an 8.7% rise in exports. The energy bill, which rose by 32.6%, is one of the main factors behind the widening trade gap. Despite the dirham's cushion of official reserves, which covered 5 months and 24 days of imports as of September 25, there are concerns that a prolonged depreciation could lead to imported inflation and increased costs for Morocco's foreign-currency debt. For American travelers, the dirham is now cheaper, while US exporters face higher costs for their goods sold in Morocco.",
  "summary": "Morocco's currency has fallen 6.5% against the US dollar since late July, making the country cheaper for American visitors and US goods dearer for Moroccans. The post Morocco’s Dirham Drops 6.5% Against Dollar Since August appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}