DOHA: The foreign currency reserves and liquidity of the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) increased by 5.2 percent year-on-year to reach QR247.4bn in March 2024 compared to the same period last year.
The figures released on Monday by the QCB showed an increase in its official reserves at the end of March 2024 as compared to what it was at the end of the same month last year by about QR11.348bn to reach QR188.482bn, despite decrease in the balances with foreign banks by about QR10.771bn to the level of QR16.523bn by the end of last March compared to March 2023.
The reserves consist of four categories: bonds and foreign treasury bills, balances with foreign banks, gold, and Special Drawing Rights (SDR), and Qatar's share at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In addition to the official reserves, there are other liquid assets (Foreign Currency Deposits), so the two together constitute what is known as the total foreign reserves.
Gold reserves increased, as of the end of March 2024, by about QR5.483bn compared to Mrach 2023 to reach QR26.755bn.Qatar's shares of SDR deposits at the IMF decreased at the end of March 2024 by QR130mn compared to March 2023, reaching QR5.184bn.The QCB's balances of bonds and foreign treasury bills increased by about QR16.747bn to the level of QR140bn in March 2024.
