The Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an international reserve asset created by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) to supplement existing foreign exchange reserves. It serves as a unit of account for the IMF and other international and regional organizations and is also the base against which some countries peg the exchange rate for their currencies.
Defined initially in terms of a fixed quantity of gold, the SDR has been redefined several times. It is currently the weighted value of currencies of the U.S. dollar, Euro, Japanese yen and U.K. pound. Individual countries hold SDRs in the form of deposits in the IMF. These holdings are part of each country’s international monetary reserves, along with official holdings of gold, foreign exchange, and its reserve position at the IMF. Members may settle transactions among themselves by transferring SDRs.