The Iranian financial landscape experienced intense volatility this Sunday evening, October 18, 2026. The US Dollar in the open market climbed to 262,100 Toman for selling, while the Tether (USDT) rate followed closely at 261,676 Toman. This narrow spread between the physical dollar and its digital counterpart suggests high demand across all liquid asset classes as investors seek refuge from currency devaluation. Other major currencies also showed strength, with the Euro trading at 294,550 Toman and the British Pound at 348,500 Toman.
The gold market was the primary focus of the day, fueled by an unprecedented rally in the global gold ounce price, which reached $4,166.10. Locally, this global surge pushed the price of 18k gold to 26,000,738 Toman per gram. The Emami coin hit a historic milestone of 266,000,000 Toman, reflecting the combined pressure of international price hikes and domestic inflationary expectations. Azadi and Nim coins were also traded at elevated levels of 254 million and 139 million Toman, respectively.
In the cryptocurrency sector, Bitcoin remained resilient, trading at $81,276. Ethereum followed with a price of $2,388.07. The stability of high-value crypto assets, paired with the high Toman-denominated price of Tether, indicates that digital currencies continue to serve as a primary vehicle for capital preservation in the Iranian market. Analysts point to the $4,100 gold threshold as a major psychological turning point that has reshaped domestic pricing models this week.