Methodology and sources

The official rate

The official rate is the rate adopted by the Central Bank of Libya. We try to obtain it from the official source itself where a machine-readable format exists, and otherwise enter it manually each day. The official rate is unified across the country — it is not city-specific.

The parallel rate

The parallel rate is recorded manually from trusted market references: known money changers in Tripoli and Benghazi, known Telegram/Facebook pages that post rates, and local news sources. We try to triangulate several sources so that no single reference dominates, and where sources diverge we take the average for that day. The parallel rate is volatile and may change multiple times within a single day, so we freeze the value taken at the time of data collection (typically late afternoon) alongside the date.

Differences across cities

The difference between Tripoli and Benghazi on any given day is often small, but is sometimes observable. We record it; where the rate for a given city is not available on a given day, we leave it empty rather than filling in a guess.

Update frequency

We update rates daily, except on public holidays and religious holidays when market trading is thinner and we may delay. Every rate page shows a clear "last updated" stamp.

Data neutrality

Every published rate is a snapshot of the moment it was taken, and does not constitute a recommendation or a forecast. All financial content is expressed for information only, without language urging any reader to buy or sell.

The historical record

Daily manual entry produces a cumulative historical record that is not otherwise available in structured form, and which forms this site's reference moat.