Dual And Multiple Exchange Rates

When faced with a sudden shock to its economy, a country can opt to implement a dual or multiple foreign-exchange rate system.With this type of system, a country has more than one rate at which its currencies are exchanged. So, unlike a fixed or floating system (to learn more about these, see Floating And Fixed Exchange Rates), the dual and multiple systems consist of different rates, fixed and floating, that are used for the same currency during the same period of time.

In a dual exchange rate system, there are both fixed and floating exchange rates in the market. The fixed rate is only applied to certain segments of the market, such as "essential" imports and exports and/or current account transactions. In the meantime, the price of capital account transactions is determined by a market driven exchange rate (so as not to hinder transactions in this market, which are crucial to providing foreign reserves for a country).

In a multiple exchange rate system, the concept is the same, except the market is divided into many different segments, each with its own foreign exchange rate, whether fixed or floating. Thus, importers of certain goods "essential" to an economy may have a preferential exchange rate while importers of "non-essential" or luxury goods may have a discouraging exchange rate. Capital account transactions could, again, be left to the floating exchange rate.


Why More Than One?
A multiple system is usually transitional in nature and is used as a means to alleviate excess pressure on foreign reserves when a shock hits an economy and causes investors to panic and pull out. It is also a way to subdue local inflation and importers' demand on foreign currency. Most of all, in times of economic turmoil, it is a mechanism by which governments can quickly implement control over foreign currency transactions. Such a system can buy some extra time for the governments in their attempts to fix the inherent problem in their balance of payments. This extra time is particularly important for fixed currency regimes, which may be forced to completely devalue their currency and turn to foreign institutions for help.

How Does It Work?
Instead of depleting precious foreign reserves, the government diverts the heavy demand for foreign currency to the free-floating exchange rate market. Changes in the free floating rate will reflect demand and supply.

The use of multiple exchange rates has been seen as an implicit means of imposing tariffs or taxes. For example, a low exchange rate applied to food imports functions like a subsidy, while the high exchange rate on luxury imports works to "tax" people importing goods which, in a time of crisis, are perceived as non-essential. On a similar note, a higher exchange rate in a specific export industry can function as a tax on profits.