Chile's observed dollar: what it is, how it is calculated and its value each year since 2015

The observed dollar is the official exchange rate between the Chilean peso and the US dollar. It is calculated and published every business day by the Central Bank of Chile using the dollar purchase and sale transactions that banks and other formal exchange market entities carried out on the previous business day, according to the Central Bank of Chile, Compendium of International Exchange Regulations. It is the reference used by the Internal Revenue Service (SII), by contracts set in dollars and paid in pesos, and by many companies for their accounting. The rate for Tuesday, November 10, 2026 is CLP 969.80, according to the Central Bank of Chile, observed dollar rate, via mindicador.cl.

The Central Bank takes the dollar-peso purchase and sale transactions carried out in the formal exchange market (banks and other authorized entities) on the previous business day and calculates an average from them. That value is published in the morning and applies on the day it is published: so Tuesday's observed dollar reflects what happened in the market on Monday. It is also published in the Official Gazette. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and the last known value applies.

That explains why the observed dollar almost never matches the real-time rate in the news. On Monday, November 9, for example, the interbank dollar closed at CLP 971.2, according to Diario Financiero, while the observed rate in force that day was CLP 979.88, calculated from Friday the 6th's transactions. The next day, the observed rate fell to CLP 969.80. In our summary of today's dollar and stock market we explain what drove that change.

To buy cash dollars or for a trip, the relevant price is not the observed rate but the selling price of the exchange house, bank or app you use, which is always higher. In where to buy dollars in Chile we compare those options, and in how to invest in dollars from Chile we explain the alternatives for saving in that currency.

• Taxes: the SII publishes the daily observed dollar table and uses it to convert foreign-currency transactions into pesos.
• Contracts: leases, services or debts set in dollars and paid in pesos usually refer to it.
• Accounting: companies use it to value dollar assets and liabilities at the end of each period.
• Statistics: it is the series the Central Bank uses to track the exchange rate.

In eleven years, the observed dollar's annual average went from CLP 654.07 in 2015 to CLP 951.25 in 2025, an increase of 45.4%. The biggest jumps came in 2019 and 2020, with the social unrest and the pandemic, and in 2022, when the average rose to CLP 873.19 and the monthly average reached CLP 955.89 in October. The series' monthly record is CLP 1,000.76, in January 2025. So far in 2026, the January-October average is CLP 913.23, lower than 2025's, although October (CLP 981.58) was the most expensive month of the year. The averages come from the SII, observed dollar values by year, calculated as the average of monthly averages.

The observed dollar sums up the same forces that move the exchange rate in the market, with a one-day lag. The main ones are four: the global value of the dollar against other currencies, which depends mostly on the Federal Reserve; the price of copper, because Chile sells copper in dollars and expensive copper brings in more foreign currency; the interest rate differential between Chile and the United States, which attracts or repels capital; and the risk appetite of investors, who in times of tension seek refuge in the dollar. All four were visible in 2026: the year's low, CLP 854.25 on February 10, came with a weak global dollar, and the high, CLP 994.29 on October 27, with tension in the Middle East and rising oil, according to the Central Bank of Chile, observed dollar rate, via mindicador.cl.

To check the day's value, the official source is the Central Bank's website, which publishes it every business morning; the SII also keeps a table with all the year's values, useful for tax paperwork. On weekends and holidays there is no new observed dollar and the last published one applies. For those who follow the exchange rate to invest or travel, the daily reference with context is on our dollar today in Chile page.

What is the observed dollar today?

On Tuesday, November 10, 2026 it is CLP 969.80, according to the Central Bank.

Who publishes the observed dollar?

The Central Bank of Chile, every business day; the SII reproduces it in its tables.

Why is the observed dollar different from the one in the news?

Because it is calculated from the previous business day's transactions, while the news reports the real-time interbank price.

What was the average observed dollar in 2025?

CLP 951.25, the highest annual average since at least 2015.