elToque
Cuban independent digital outlet running the informal USD/CUP exchange-rate tracker used by traders.
Last refreshed: 7 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why do Cuban traders use elToque's rate tracker instead of the official exchange rate?
Timeline for elToque
Reported USD/CUP at 540 and EUR/CUP at 618 as of early May
Cuba Dispatch: Peso slides to 540; MLC spikes to 420- What is the elToque exchange rate tracker?
- elToque publishes daily informal USD/CUP, EUR/CUP and MLC/CUP exchange rates sourced from market participants; it is the working reference for traders and remittance senders when the Cuban state official rate diverges from market reality.
- What was the Cuban peso to dollar rate in May 2026?
- According to elToque's tracker, USD/CUP reached 540 by early May 2026, up from 530 on 22 April; EUR/CUP reached 618 and MLC spiked to 420 on 4 May before settling at 400.Source: elToque
- Is elToque reliable for Cuban economic data?
- elToque's exchange-rate tracker is the most consistently cited informal-rate source in Cuban economic reporting; wire services and academic economists use it as a primary reference. The outlet receives international funding and is blocked inside Cuba.
- Why is elToque blocked in Cuba?
- The Cuban government blocks elToque on the domestic internet, characterising it as a foreign-funded destabilisation tool; on-island users access it via VPN. The state does not publish a comparable informal-rate figure.
Background
elToque is a Cuban independent digital media organisation founded in 2013, operating from Havana and publishing in Spanish. It is editorially centre-left and covers Cuban daily life, culture, economics and civil society. Its most widely cited product is an informal exchange-rate tracker that publishes daily USD/CUP, EUR/CUP, and MLC/CUP rates sourced from informal market participants; the tracker is the reference figure used by traders, economists, and diaspora remittance senders when the Cuban state's official rate diverges from economic reality.
In 2026, elToque's rate tracker became a key primary source for the Cuba Dispatch: it recorded the USD/CUP rate reaching 530 by 22 April (see ID:2849), then 540 by early May, and an MLC spike to 420 on 4 May before easing to 400 on 6 May. The figures track the compounding effect of fuel shortages, grid failures, and the failure of CADECA's dollar-acceptance reform to compress the state-versus-informal-market spread.
elToque is listed in the editorial brief for this topic as a verifiable citation source alongside CiberCuba, 14ymedio, Diario de Cuba, CubaNet and Periódico Cubano. It receives international funding, including grants from journalism support organisations, which the Cuban state cites as evidence of foreign interference; the outlet is blocked on the Cuban domestic internet and accessed by on-island users via VPN.