rial

The rial is the name of the official currency in several countries, most notably Iran, Oman, and Yemen. The term comes from the Arabic riāl, a historic monetary unit used across the Islamic world. In English, the unit is usually spelled rial, though some countries use a variant such as riyal. The rial should not be confused with the similarly named riyal used in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf states.

Iranian rial (IRR). The rial is issued by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is subdivided into 100 dinars in theory, though the dinar is rarely used in everyday transactions today due to inflation. The Iranian currency has experienced substantial inflation and exchange-rate volatility, with government measures and multiple exchange-rate regimes influencing pricing and imports. Prices are sometimes quoted in both rials and smaller informal units or in the informal “toman,” which equals 10 rials.

Omani rial (OMR). The Omani rial is issued by the Central Bank of Oman and is relatively stable compared with some regional currencies. It is subdivided into 1000 baiza (baisa). Oman’s currency is widely used for domestic transactions and is considered one of the more stable currencies in the region.

Yemeni rial (YER). The Yemeni rial is issued by the Central Bank of Yemen. It is subdivided into 100 fils. The currency has been affected by ongoing economic difficulties and conflict, leading to inflation and significant exchange-rate fluctuations, with large variances between official and black-market rates in some periods.

See also: Riyal (disambiguation) for related currency terms.