Russia's international reserves decline 4.8% in Sept to $731.76 bln - Central Bank

MOSCOW. Oct 7 (Interfax) - Russia's international (gold and foreign currency) reserves decreased by $37.262 billion or 4.8% in September 2026 to $731.760 billion from $769.022 billion, according to information on the Central Bank of Russia's website.

Reserves declined by $23.093 billion or 3.1% in January-September 2026, from $754.853 billion as of January 1.

The value of monetary gold in reserves in September decreased by $31.877 billion or 9.6% to $301.607 billion. The share of gold in reserves as of October 1 dropped to 41.2% from 43.4% as of September 1.

Following the sanctions that Western countries imposed on the CBR in 2022, the regulator is restricted in managing a significant part of gold and forex reserves. The part of reserves consisting of gold and assets in Chinese yuan was not subject to restrictions. The main factor in reserves trends is changes in the value of reserve assets owing to revaluation compared to the U.S. dollar, as well as transactions conducted under the fiscal rule and operations with funds from the National Wealth Fund.

International reserves are highly liquid foreign assets held by the CBR and the Russian government. They consist of foreign currency assets, monetary gold, special drawing rights (SDR, a unit of account used by the International Monetary Fund), a reserve position with the IMF, and other reserve assets.