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Report: Argentines’ financial reality and the impossible dollar access
For years, the country operated under the cepo cambiario, a system of capital controls that limited individuals to purchasing a maximum of $200 per month at the official exchange rate through the so-called dólar ahorro. Not only was this amount relatively small for any meaningful savings protection, but purchases were also subject to a 30% tax advance on income and wealth taxes, collected at the point of purchase. Anyone needing more than $200 per month, or unwilling to surrender 30% upfront to the state, had only one alternative: the dólar blue. This informal cash market operated in the gray areas of Argentine economic life, offering access to dollars at a significant premium to the official exchange rate and often requiring the right connections. For Argentines, this came at a considerable cost. Since 2019, the dólar blue has frequently traded at premiums approaching 2x the official rate, as shown in the chart below. This premium largely reflected expectations of future peso devaluations. In other words, many preferred accepting a 2x exchange-rate penalty today rather than risking an even greater loss of purchasing power just a few months later.








