Money Changers

I am amazed by the vast numbers of money changers in this city. It seems that in every block there is at least one yellow sign advertising the presence of a currency exchange. Each day the exchange rates are posted in Hryvnia, Dollars, Euros and Rubles. Usually these exchanges are little booths located in the lobbies or the showrooms of other businesses--pharmacies, clothing stores, etc. The clerk inside the booth will take your American currency, pass it under an ultraviolet light to check for possible counterfeit bills, print up a receipt and then give you the proper Ukrainian currency. It is very quick and efficient, and by shopping around a little you can get better exchange rates, although that task has never interested me for the sake of saving a few small coins.

The omnipresence of these currency exchanges shows the continued reliance of the Ukrainian economy upon foreign influences--Russian, European and American. The average citizen is very aware of the currency markets. Indeed, much of the commerce of the city is transacted in foreign currency, especially Dollars. I have had three different merchants quote me a preferable price in Dollars rather than Hryvnia.