Cuba opens first private exchange house; dollar at 710/730 CUP

Cuba's central bank authorized the first private exchange house in Santa Clara, setting dollar buy/sell rates at 710/730 pesos, a pilot that breaks the state monopoly on currency exchange. Economist Pedro Monreal questions the lack of published rules for licensing, leaving regulatory uncertainty. This marks a tentative step toward currency liberalization in Cuba, with implications for the parallel market and remittance flows.