GBP/CHF Calculator

GBP/CHF Calculator

Compare the exchange rates for the Great British Pound (GBP) and Swiss franc (CHF).

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GBP/CHF Calculator

GBP/CHF Calculator

Compare the exchange rates for the Great British Pound (GBP) and Swiss franc (CHF).

GBP/CHF Calculator

GBP/CHF Calculator

Compare the exchange rates for the Great British Pound (GBP) and Swiss franc (CHF).

Convert GBP to CHF

Find competitive exchange rates for GBP/CHF and CHF/GBP with SwissFx. Use our calculator below.

Convert GBP to CHF

Find competitive exchange rates for GBP/CHF and CHF/GBP with SwissFx. Use our calculator below.

Convert GBP to CHF

Find competitive exchange rates for GBP/CHF and CHF/GBP with SwissFx. Use our calculator below.

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GBP/CHF Currency History

See the historical trend for GBP/CHF in our chart below.

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GBP / CHF

Exchange Rate History

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Important historical events affecting the GBP/CHF exchange rates:

The GBP/CHF exchange rate reflects developments in the UK economy and monetary policy, as well as demand for the Swiss franc during periods of uncertainty.

Did you know? The pound sterling is the world’s oldest currency still in continuous use, with a history spanning more than 1,200 years.

Some of the events that have historically affected the GBP/CHF exchange rate include:

Winston Churchill as the Minister of Munitions, meets with female workers at Georgetown's filling works in Glasgow, Scotland during a visit to see the war industry in Britain during World War I is going, circa October 9, 1918.

World War I & British suspension of the Gold Standard (1914)

Before the First World War, both the British pound and the Swiss franc operated within the international Gold Standard. Their values were linked to gold, which limited fluctuations between the two currencies. When war began in 1914, Britain suspended the Gold Standard, while Switzerland also suspended the convertibility of its currency. Exchange rates were therefore no longer governed by the same fixed gold-parity framework.

Switzerland restored its pre-war parity by the end of 1924. Britain followed in April 1925, returning to gold at the same dollar parity as before the war. However, sterling was overvalued at this rate. Maintaining the parity constrained British monetary policy and placed additional pressure on employment and economic activity.

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

World War I & British suspension of the Gold Standard (1914)

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932.

Britain leaves the Gold Standard (1931) and Switzerland devalues the franc (1936)

Confidence in the pound sterling deteriorated during the Great Depression. In September 1931, sustained losses of gold and foreign-exchange reserves, a worsening trade balance and short-term capital outflows led the United Kingdom to leave the Gold Standard. Sterling was then allowed to float and depreciated sharply.

Switzerland remained within the standard, and the Swiss franc appreciated substantially between 1931 and 1936, particularly against sterling and the US dollar. This made Swiss exports more expensive and intensified pressure on the country’s export and tourism sectors. Switzerland eventually devalued the franc by approximately 30% on 26 September 1936. The two decisions therefore affected GBP/CHF in opposite directions: Britain’s earlier departure weakened sterling against the franc, while the later Swiss devaluation reduced some of the franc’s previous overvaluation.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Britain leaves the Gold Standard (1931) and Switzerland devalues the franc (1936)

Morgenthau addresses delegates at the opening of the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944

World War II and the creation of the Bretton Woods system (1939–1944)

The Second World War placed significant pressure on Britain’s external finances. The UK introduced extensive exchange controls under wartime legislation, restricting foreign-exchange transactions and the international use of sterling.

In 1944, the United Kingdom helped establish the Bretton Woods system. Participating currencies were maintained at fixed parities against the US dollar, while the dollar remained convertible into gold for foreign monetary authorities. This marked a decisive shift towards a dollar-centred international monetary system.

Switzerland did not join the International Monetary Fund until 1992. However, the Swiss franc still operated within the wider Bretton Woods fixed-rate environment. The Swiss National Bank intervened in foreign-exchange markets and converted purchased US dollars into gold. GBP/CHF was therefore influenced by official currency parities rather than by a fully floating foreign-exchange market.

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

World War II and the creation of the Bretton Woods system (1939–1944)

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister in 1967, who famously claimed that “the pound in your pocket” has not lost it’s value

Devaluation of the Pound (1967)

On 18 November 1967, the British government reduced sterling’s official value from USD 2.80 to USD 2.40 per pound, a devaluation of 14.3%. The decision followed recurring balance-of-payments and sterling crises. It made British exports cheaper for overseas buyers but increased the cost of imported goods in sterling.

Because sterling and the Swiss franc still operated within the Bretton Woods fixed-rate environment, the change in sterling’s official parity also reduced its value against the Swiss franc.

Image: Allan Warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Devaluation of the Pound (1967)

The International Monetary Fund’s headquarters in Washington DC

The UK’s IMF Crisis (1976)

The British pound had been allowed to float against other currencies on the foreign-exchange market since June 1972, meaning that its value was no longer maintained at a fixed official rate. By 1976, the UK was facing rapid inflation, a rising government deficit and a persistent current-account deficit. This meant that the country was paying more to the rest of the world through trade, income and transfers than it was receiving. Against the wider backdrop of the 1973 oil shock, withdrawals from official sterling holdings and declining confidence placed further pressure on the currency.

Sterling fell by around 12% against a trade-weighted group of currencies between March and June. By the end of November, its depreciation since the beginning of the year had reached approximately 22%. The UK government entered negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for financial support, with stringent policy conditions attached. The broad decline in sterling also placed downward pressure on GBP/CHF.

Image: Marek Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The UK’s IMF Crisis (1976)

Image: Marek Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Plaza Accord (1985) and Louvre Accord (1987)

The United Kingdom joined France, West Germany, Japan and the United States in announcing the Plaza Accord on 22 September 1985. The five countries agreed that exchange rates should play a role in correcting international imbalances and considered further controlled appreciation of the main non-dollar currencies desirable. Coordinated sales of US dollars followed the agreement.

The Plaza Accord did not directly target GBP/CHF, and Switzerland was not among its signatories. Its influence on the currency pair was therefore indirect, through wider movements in the dollar and other major currencies.

By early 1987, the dollar had fallen substantially against currencies such as the German mark and Japanese yen. The Louvre Accord, announced on 22 February 1987, stated that exchange rates were now broadly consistent with economic fundamentals and committed the participating countries to cooperate in maintaining greater stability around those levels.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The Plaza Accord (1985) and Louvre Accord (1987)

A candle chart showing the devaluation of GBP against the US Dollar

Black Wednesday (1992)

The UK joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) in October 1990. Sterling was required to remain within a 6% band on either side of its agreed central rate against other participating European currencies. By 1992, high German interest rates and the weak UK recovery had made sterling’s ERM rate increasingly difficult to sustain. Heavy speculative selling intensified the pressure on the pound. It reflected wider market concerns that sterling was overvalued at its existing parity, while the interest-rate increases required to defend it conflicted with the needs of the UK economy.

On Wednesday 16 September 1992, currency traders sold sterling heavily, betting that the UK would be unable to maintain its agreed ERM rate. The government announced two interest-rate increases and the Bank of England intervened extensively in the foreign-exchange market by buying pounds. These measures failed to stop the selling pressure, and the government suspended sterling’s membership of the ERM that evening. Sterling then depreciated sharply.

Image: Klip game, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Black Wednesday (1992)

Image: Klip game, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Global financial crisis and euro-area debt crisis (2007–2011)

The global financial crisis had a major impact on the United Kingdom. British banks suffered substantial losses, lending contracted sharply and the economy shrank by more than 6% between the first quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2009.

Sterling also depreciated significantly. At the end of June 2009, its effective exchange rate was around 20% below its August 2007 level. At the same time, the Swiss franc appreciated as international investors sought safe-haven currencies during the global financial crisis and the subsequent euro-area debt crisis.

As appreciation of the franc intensified, the Swiss National Bank introduced a minimum exchange rate of CHF 1.20 per euro on 6 September 2011 and announced that it was prepared to purchase foreign currency in unlimited quantities to enforce it.

Image: Nigel Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Global financial crisis and euro-area debt crisis (2007–2011)

Image: Nigel Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A one Euro coin shown next to a one Swiss franc coin

Swiss franc shock (2015)

On 15 January 2015, the Swiss National Bank discontinued its minimum exchange rate of CHF 1.20 per euro and lowered the interest rate on certain sight deposits to –0.75%. The SNB cited growing divergences between the monetary policies of the major currency areas and concluded that maintaining the minimum exchange rate was no longer justified.

The Swiss franc appreciated sharply against sterling.

Swiss franc shock (2015)

The Swiss franc appreciated sharply against sterling.

HM Government Billboard with the Slogan “Get Ready for Brexit”

Brexit Referendum (2016)

On 23 June 2016, UK voters chose to leave the European Union. The result caused an immediate repricing of sterling as markets reassessed the UK’s future political, trade and economic relationships. The effective value of the pound fell by a further 9.5% between referendum day and the end of July.

The movement against the Swiss franc was also significant. A Swiss National Bank study found that the franc appreciated by 14% against the pound between February and October 2016. The referendum therefore contributed to a sharp decline in the GBP/CHF exchange rate, while uncertainty surrounding the UK’s future relationship with the European Union continued to influence expectations for sterling.

Image: Cabinet Office, OGL 3, Wikimedia Commons

Brexit Referendum (2016)

Image: Cabinet Office, OGL 3, Wikimedia Commons

Protester with placard 'Tory help with cost of living - Champagne £1.60 budget cut.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the UK cost-of-living crisis (2020–2022)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented downturn in the UK economy. Between April and June 2020, during the first national lockdown, UK GDP fell by a record 19.4%. Sterling also depreciated sharply during the initial market disruption, while the Swiss franc came under strong appreciation pressure as investors sought safe-haven currencies. These opposing movements created significant volatility and downward pressure on the GBP/CHF exchange rate.

As economies reopened, disrupted supply chains and a strong catch-up demand contributed to rising inflation. The increase in global energy prices, intensified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, added further pressure. These developments affected inflation and monetary-policy expectations in both the UK and Switzerland and therefore remained relevant to GBP/CHF, although their effect on the currency pair varied over time.

Image: Cabinet Office, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons

The COVID-19 pandemic and the UK cost-of-living crisis (2020–2022)

Image: Cabinet Office, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons

Prime Minister Liz Truss announces her resignation outside of 10 Downning Street

The UK Growth Plan and market turmoil (2022)

On 23 September 2022, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced major tax cuts and energy-support measures without an accompanying forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility. Sterling fell sharply, while UK government bond yields rose.

The Bank of England intervened on 28 September to address risks to financial stability. GBP/CHF fell by around 3.7% between 22 and 26 September. Most of the tax measures were later reversed, Kwarteng was dismissed from his role as Chancellor and Liz Truss, the Prime Minister at the time announced her resignation on 20 October 2022.

Image: Prime Minister's Office, OGL 3, Wikimedia Commons

The UK Growth Plan and market turmoil (2022)

Image: Prime Minister's Office, OGL 3, Wikimedia Commons

GBP/CHF Frequently Asked Questions

Get the answers to all of your questions related to exchanging the British pound and Swiss franc.

Which payment systems are used for GBP payments in the UK?

The UK uses several domestic payment systems. Faster Payments supports near-real-time transfers and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Funds are usually available almost immediately, although some payments can take up to two hours. Individual providers may also set their own transaction limits.

Bacs is commonly used for Direct Debits and Direct Credits, including payroll and other regular business payments. CHAPS is primarily used for high-value or time-critical sterling payments that need to settle on the same business day. The most suitable system depends on the payment type, amount, urgency and provider.