It is a pair of currencies traded in forex that does not include U.S. dollar. One foreign currency is traded for another without having to convert it to US dollars. Before, an individual who wished to exchange a sum of money into a different currency would be required first to convert that money into U.S dollars, and then convert it to the desired currency. Cross currencies help individuals and traders bypass this step. The GBP/JPY cross, for example, was invented to help individuals in England and Japan who wanted to convert their money directly without having to first convert it to U.S dollars.

A pair of currencies not include the U.S. dollar. A cross-currency transaction is one which involves the simultaneous buying and selling of two or more currencies.