The international role of the Euro

Probably about a quarter of the world’s foreign exchange reserves are denominated in euros and the euro appears to have gained importance as a reserve currency in recent years. The dollar is the world’s pre-eminent anchor currency; the euro is a regionally important anchor currency. The euro has made limited progress as a vehicle currency; the dollar remains dominant. The dollar is the most important currency for invoicing, but the euro is now used in some transactions in some new EU member countries. The euro is likely to remain important as a reserve currency, but is unlikely to usurp the dollar’s role as an anchor currency, a vehicle currency or as a unit of account in the foreseeable future.