As of late 2022, sterling is also the fourth most-held reserve currency in global reserves. Together with those three currencies and Renminbi, it forms the basket of currencies which calculate the value of IMF special drawing rights. It is currently the fourth most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen. Sterling is the world's oldest currency that is still in use and that has been in continuous use since its inception. In British English, its most common nickname is ' quid'.
The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and the word ' pound' is also used to refer to the British currency generally, often qualified in international contexts as the British pound or the pound sterling. Sterling ( ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories.
