The króna ˈkhrouːna or krona (sometimes called Icelandic crown; sign: kr; code: ISK) is the currency of Iceland. Iceland is the second-smallest country by population, after the Seychelles, to have its own currency and monetary policy.
Like the Nordic currencies (such as the Danish krone, Swedish krona and Norwegian krone) that participated in the historical Scandinavian Monetary Union, the name króna (meaning crown) comes from the Latin word corona ("crown").
The name "Icelandic crown" is sometimes used alternatively, for example in the financial markets.
The Danish krone was introduced to Iceland in 1874, replacing the earlier Danish currency, the rigsdaler. In 1885, Iceland began issuing its own banknotes.
The Icelandic krona separated from the Danish krone after the dissolution of the Scandinavian Monetary Union at the start of World War I and Icelandic sovereignty from Denmark in 1918. The first coins were issued in 1922.
Iceland was forced to devalue the Icelandic krona in 1922, by 23% against the Danish krone, which saw the beginning of an independent monetary policy in Iceland, and was to be the first of many subsequent devaluations of the krona.
In 1925 the krona was pegged to the British pound for the next 14 years until the spring of 1939. Later in 1939 the currency was pegged to the US dollar, which was maintained until 1949.
Iceland's first coins were 10 and 25 aurar pieces introduced in 1922. These were followed in 1925 by 1 krona and 2 krona pieces and in 1926 by 1, 2 and 5 aurar pieces. In 1946, the coins' designs were altered to remove the royal monogram (CXR), following Icelandic independence from Denmark in 1944.
Starting in 1967, new coins were introduced due to a considerable fall in the value of the krona. 10 krona coins were introduced in that year, followed by 50 aurar and 5 krona pieces in 1969 and 50 krona pieces in 1970.
The first notes issued in 1885 by the Landssjóður Íslands were in denominations of 5, 10 and 50 krona. In 1904, the Bank of Iceland (Íslands Banki) took over note production and introduced 100 krona notes.