GBP (British Pound)

The pound sterling,symbol: £; ISO code: GBP, often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies (the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory. It is subdivided into 100 pence (singular: penny).

The Gibraltar pound, Falkland Islands pound and Saint Helena pound are separate currencies, pegged to the pound sterling.

Sterling is the third-largest reserve currency, after the US dollar and the euro. The pound sterling is the fourth-most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the US dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen.


 The pound sterling is the world's oldest currency still in use.
Sterling is used as a reserve currency around the world and is presently ranked third in amount held as reserves. The percentage which pounds make up of total reserves has increased over recent years, due in part to the stability of the British economy and government, gradual increase in value against many currencies and relatively high interest rates compared to other major currencies such as the dollar, euro and yen. As from mid 2006 it is the third most widely held reserve currency, having seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years.Analysts say this resurgence is caused by carry-trade investors considering the pound as a stable high-yield proxy to the euro.