Japanese Yen to Etherium exchange rates aren't all the same.
The total cost you are charged by your bank or foreign exchange provider consists of a margin from the interbank mid-rate plus fees.
These margins and fees vary significantly for International Money Transfers and Travel Money transactions as shown below.
When determining the best time to make a foreign exchange transaction, in this case the JPY vs ETH, you should pay attention to the recent market trends for both currencies.
Japanese Yen (JPY)
The yen was the star performer in the weeks leading up to this report (May-17), with appreciation driven by a flight to safety following a serious escalation in the US-China trade war. The benchmark yen rate, USD/JPY, was down in the mid-109s, having been as high as 112.4 in late April. Relatively speaking, against their April highs, other yen rates had fallen even more (NZD/JPY was down from 76 to 71.6).
In May, HSBC warned against thinking that yen-supporting safe-haven flows would soon stop, implying that the yen could have more upside potential in the near term. The bank highlighted the “desolation and destruction” (an exaggeration) present in many major economies and currencies. “You can never get too high,” the bank’s chief analyst said.
2018 was the year that the cryptocurrency dream came crashing down. The bubble that many had suspected was building in 2017 was realised and ethereum went on to lose roughly 80 percent of its value. Ethereum ended the year at $136, having battled with major obstacles including regulatory crackdowns and social media advertising bans.
In the first 2 ½ months of 2019, ethereum at least held its value, trading between $100 and $170.
In 2019, on balance, press was still mostly negative on cryptocurrencies. This press included the bankruptcy in February of Canada’s largest crypto exchange, QuadrigaCX, and March’s decision by the CBOE (a major US derivatives exchange) to ditch bitcoin futures contracts amid declining interest.
Because the release of the CBOE’s futures contracts coincided with the crypto market top in December ’17–January ’18, superstitious folk said in March they were anticipating the emergence of a new bull market.
An Investment Week expert said in February that ethereum predictions were now “pointless.”
Why can't I just get the JPY/ETH market rate I see online or in the media?
The mid-rate is the rate you will see quoted online or the news. It is actually just the half-way point (hence mid-rate) between
the last rate at which the JPY / ETH was traded (bought or sold) in the international markets.
All foreign exchange providers charge a fee for providing their service and this fee is usually contained within the exchange rate margin (or difference to the mid-rate).
Some providers such as Transferwise will quote you the mid-rate (or close to) and charge a separate percentage fee.
Getting a good market rate is mainly about timing however the transaction margin
you end up being charged can be considerably reduced by around a few percent (of total amount being exchanged) for
travel money and possibly over 5% to 6% when sending money.
The exact potential savings depends on the currencies being exchanged and the amount you are transferring and if you are willing to shop around.
