Ora (currency) Efficient Group, a South African financial services company, is currently tasked with developing the digital currency in order to reduce costs that are incurred by printing notes. Ora (currency) The Ora (symbol:Φ, ) is the local currency of Orania, an Afrikaner enclave in South Africa. It is pegged at par with the South African rand. The name, recalling that of the town where it circulates, derives from Latin "aurum", meaning "gold". The currency is not sanctioned by the South African Reserve Bank. The first notes were issued in April 2004 to provide an internal currency for Orania as part of
South African rand the end of 2004 was trading under R 5.70 to the dollar. The currency softened somewhat in 2005, and was trading around R 6.35 to the dollar at the end of the year. At the start of 2006, however, the currency resumed its rally, and as of 19 January 2006, was trading under R 6 to the dollar again. However, during the second and third quarters of 2006 (i.e. April through September), the Rand weakened significantly. In sterling terms, it fell from around 9.5p to just over 7p, losing some 25% of its international trade-weighted value in just six months.