Currency Sign

ASCII Code: 164•Category: currency

The generic currency symbol (¤) serves as a universal placeholder for unspecified currencies in international commerce, software systems, and financial documentation when the specific currency symbol is unknown or unavailable.

Technical Details

ASCII Code: 164
HTML Entity: ¤
Hexadecimal: 0xA4
Binary: 10100100
Octal: 244

Usage & Examples

Programming

char symbol = '¤'; // ASCII 164

HTML/Web

¤ or ¤

Common Uses

currencygenericinternationalplaceholder

How to Type This Character

Windows

Alt Code:

Hold Alt and type164 on numeric keypad

Character Map:

Search "Character Map" in Start menu

Mac

Character Viewer:

Press Ctrl +Cmd +Space

Copy & Paste:

Easiest method - copy from this page!

💡 Pro tip: The fastest way is to bookmark this page or copy the character from our ASCII library!

Related Characters

Control Character 154

#154

C155

Control Character 155

#155

C156

Control Character 156

#156

C157

Control Character 157

#157

C158

Control Character 158

#158

C159

Control Character 159

Inverted Exclamation Mark

#161

About the Currency Sign

International Commerce

Essential for global business systems that handle multiple currencies simultaneously. The symbol enables financial software, point-of-sale systems, and international invoices to represent monetary amounts when the specific currency context is unclear or variable.

Software Localization

Critical for software applications that must display currency amounts across different locales and regions. Developers use ¤ as a placeholder that gets replaced with local currency symbols during application localization and internationalization processes.

Financial Documentation

Used in templates, forms, and standardized documents where currency amounts need to be indicated but the specific currency depends on the user's location or transaction context. Enables creation of universal financial templates.

Iso Standard Role

Officially defined in ISO 4217 as the international standard for currency codes, providing a standardized way to represent unspecified monetary units in banking systems, financial protocols, and international trade documentation.

History of the Currency Sign

1970s

ISO Development

The International Organization for Standardization developed the generic currency symbol as part of efforts to create universal standards for international financial communication and computer systems.

1980s

Computer Integration

Early computer systems and financial software adopted ¤ to handle multi-currency applications, enabling global commerce systems to process transactions across different monetary systems.

1990s

Internet Commerce

E-commerce platforms and online banking systems integrated the generic currency symbol to create flexible international payment systems that could adapt to users' local currencies automatically.

2000s

Mobile and Global Apps

Smartphone applications and global software platforms standardized ¤ usage for currency localization, enabling apps to serve users worldwide with appropriate local currency symbols.

Cultural Impact

The generic currency symbol enabled the digital globalization of commerce by providing a universal placeholder that transcends national monetary boundaries, facilitating international trade and cross-border digital transactions.

Usage Examples

Software Templates

Example

Price: ¤99.99, Total: ¤1,234.56, Balance: ¤0.00

Placeholder in applications before currency localization

International Forms

Example

Amount: ¤_______, Currency conversion: 1 USD = ¤_____

Universal forms for multi-currency transactions

Financial Systems

Example

SELECT amount, ¤_symbol FROM transactions WHERE currency_code = ?

Database queries handling multiple currency types

Localization Testing

Example

Test case: Display ¤50.00 → Expected: $50.00, €50.00, ¥50

Software testing for currency symbol replacement