Euro is the second most traded currency in the world after the U.S. dollar and the second largest reserve currency. Having more than €751 billion in circulation, the Eurozone is the second largest economy in the world.

The euro was introduced as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999 replacing the former European Currency Unit (ECU). The euro banknotes and coins started circulating on 1 January 2002 and now are used daily by over 327 million Europeans.

Euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 states member of the European Union (EU). The European Union states that adopted euro as official currency are France, Germany Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Netherland, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia. Outside the Eurozone other states adopted the euro as sole official currency: Kosovo, Montenegro, Monaco, Andorra, San Marino and Vatican, all in Europe and overseas territories like Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin.

The Japanese yen is the third most traded currency in the world after the US dollar and euro. Yen is also very often used as a reserve currency, occupying the forth place in the reserve currency top after US dollar, euro and pound sterling.

In 1871 the yen was officially adopted by the Meiji government, replacing the complex monetary system of the Edo period based on the mon currency. The currency was gradually introduced starting from July on that year in the form of a silver coin similar to that time’s Mexican Peso. By the “New Currency Act” of 1871 the yen was defined as 0.78 troy ounces (24.26 g) of pure silver, or 1.5 grams of pure gold and the decimal accounting system of yen, sen, and rin was adopted. The sen and rin were taken out of circulation in 1953.

The pound is one of the top five currencies in the world, having the third largest currency reserve after the United States Dollar and the Euro. On the Forex is the fourth most traded currency. Also the pound sterling is the oldest currency in the world still in use.

The official name is pound sterling but is referred as pound or just sterling. Having the £ symbol and GBP code, the sterling is the currency of the United Kingdom. The sterling subdivision is penny and is divided in 100 pence. Sterling is also the currency of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and of the British Antarctic Territory.