GBP/JPY exchange rate
GBP/JPY historical chart
Live GBP/JPY conversion rate
As of 2026-09-16 14:06:32 UTC, GBP/JPY (British Pound / Japanese Yen) is 208.820, reconciled from ECB ref · live spot and refreshed every 1-minute ingest / daily reference fallback. Every observation is point-in-time and labels its source class and timestamp — backtest-safe and reproducible. GBP/JPY is available over the REST API and an MCP server on exchangerate.dev, with a free tier to start.
GBP to JPY and JPY to GBP
How do I query GBP/JPY?
One authenticated GET returns the latest value with its timestamp and source. Swap the language tab for your stack.
Reference
Latest GBP/JPY indicative spot rate — value, timestamp, source, and market_session.
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Use GBP/JPY in your application
Try the current indicative rate without a key. The response labels sources.JPY, effective_at.JPY and market_session; check those fields before treating a value as fresh.
curl -fsS "https://api.exchangerate.dev/v1/latest/GBP?symbols=JPY"Daily reference history is available where this pair has published observations. This pair is eligible for intraday market observations at 1m, 5m, 15m, 1h, 4h; missing buckets remain gaps. This pair is also eligible for authenticated WebSocket updates. See interval and history limits · WebSocket integration guide · Plan and commercial-use details.
GBP/JPY — The "Dragon" Cross
GBP/JPY is known informally as "the dragon" among retail traders for its outsized intraday volatility. It combines sterling — the third most-traded currency globally — with the Japanese yen, producing swings that regularly exceed those of the majors.
The pair is doubly sensitive: it reacts to UK economic data (CPI, employment, BoE decisions) and simultaneously to the yen's global safe-haven demand. During risk-off events both legs can move sharply in opposite directions, amplifying the pair's range.
Japanese retail FX participants actively trade GBP/JPY, and their collective positioning is tracked via the Tokyo Financial Exchange. Large retail positioning shifts can trigger sharp reversals, especially on Bank of Japan announcements.
All rates here are indicative mid-market from aggregated market data and public reference rates. Not for settlement or regulated use.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is GBP/JPY called "the dragon"?
- The nickname reflects the pair's unusually large and fast intraday moves. Daily ranges of 150–200 pips are common, versus 80–120 for EUR/USD, making it both attractive and risky for short-term traders.
- What sessions see the most GBP/JPY volatility?
- The London open (08:00 GMT) is consistently the most volatile, as European and Asian traders overlap briefly. UK economic releases between 07:00–09:30 GMT also drive sharp spikes.
- How does the Bank of England affect GBP/JPY?
- BoE rate decisions directly move sterling, which is the base currency of GBP/JPY. Hawkish surprises (higher rates) typically push the pair up; dovish surprises pull it down — unless simultaneous BoJ action dominates.
- Is there a connection between GBP/JPY and UK gilt yields?
- Yes. Rising gilt yields signal higher sterling returns, attracting carry flows that buy GBP/JPY. A spike in yields from fiscal stress (as in the 2022 UK mini-budget crisis) can cause the opposite effect via sterling selling.
- Do Japanese retail traders influence GBP/JPY?
- Significantly. Japan has the world's largest retail FX market, and GBP/JPY is a favored pair for the carry interest it provides. Retail order flow is large enough to be tracked as a contrarian sentiment indicator.
- How does GBP/JPY differ from EUR/JPY?
- Both respond to risk sentiment and BoJ policy, but GBP/JPY additionally carries UK-specific risk (trade, BoE, political). Sterling also lacks the ECB's institutional backstop, adding an extra layer of idiosyncratic volatility.
- Does the exchangerate.dev API provide live intraday GBP/JPY rates?
- Yes. Both GBP and JPY are in the live-updating currency set that updates approximately every 60 seconds through the trading week. ECB-based APIs update only once per business day at the ~16:00 CET fix.