European Currency Unit
1 articleThe European Currency Unit was a basket-based accounting unit used within the European Community before the euro. Known as the ECU, it combined fixed quantities of participating national currencies and served in official accounting, financial instruments and exchange-rate arrangements, but it was not ordinary retail cash with its own circulating banknotes and coins. The euro replaced the ECU at one-to-one value. The unit is distinct from both the euro and any single predecessor national currency.
History and Present Condition of the Swedish Krona: From the Riksdaler to Modern SEK
The Swedish krona grew out of centuries of copper, silver, paper money and riksdaler reforms before becoming Sweden’s national currency in 1873. This detailed guide follows SEK through the Scandinavian Monetary Union, the 1992 currency crisis, inflation targeting, the 2003 euro referendum and the increasingly digital Swedish payment system of 2026.