Currency

Banking in a failed state is a risky business. In Libya, it’s hard to figure out who to trust.

Although we don’t have to contend as much with the hassles of bills and coins, another window into culture is being slammed shut.

China devalued its currency this week to make its exports more attractive. But how much more attractive will their products be on American shelves?

Zimbabweans will start getting rid of their basically worthless local currency for a just a few US dollars next week. Residents will get $1 for every 250 trillion Zimbabwean dollars they turn in.

Journalist John Dennehy is obsessed with $2 bills — and so, it seems, are Ecuadoreans. While living in Ecuador, which officially uses the US dollar as its currency, Dennehy discovered that the bill is even rarer there than it is in the US, and it’s a prized good-luck charm to boot.