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gold-exchange standard

monetary system
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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gold-exchange standard, monetary system under which a nation’s currency may be converted into bills of exchange drawn on a country whose currency is convertible into gold at a stable rate of exchange. A nation on the gold-exchange standard is thus able to keep its currency at parity with gold without having to maintain as large a gold reserve as is required under the gold standard.

The gold-exchange standard came into prominence after World War I because of an inadequate supply of gold for reserve purposes. British sterling and the U.S. dollar have been the most widely recognized reserve currencies. The requirement of a fixed rate of exchange for the reserve currency has the effect of limiting the freedom of the reserve-currency country’s monetary policy to solve domestic economic problems. The use of gold reserves is now limited almost exclusively to the settlement of international transactions, on rare occasions.