NBB ups net foreign assets 3.2% in 2012
MINSK. Jan 24 (Interfax) - The National Bank of Belarus had net foreign assets of $8.12 billion on January 1 2013, up 3.2% on January 1 2012, the NBB said in a report.
Net foreign assets in December plunged 6.5% in December after edging up 0.4% in November and falling during the previous three months: 2.1% in October, 3.6% in September and 2% in August. The assets reached an all-time high on August 1 2012 of $9.35 billion. Net foreign assets fell by $1.23 billion, or 13.2%, in the last five months of 2012.
Gross foreign assets went down 9.3% in 2012 (down 6.1% in December after climbing 0.5% in November) to $8.56 billion amid a 72% reduction in gross foreign liabilities (up 3.3% in December) to $441.3 million.
Net foreign assets in foreign currency reached $7.74 billion on January 1 2013, up 0.6% in the year (down 2.1% in December). Gross assets in foreign currency totaled $7.95 billion (down 1.2% in the year and 2% in December), gross liabilities in foreign currency amounted to $211.7 million, down 40.5% (up 0.6% in December).
Net foreign assets in limited convertible currency were the equivalent of $383.3 million at the start of 2013, up 120%. In December they fell 51.3%, after falling 11.3% in November. Gross assets in limited convertible currency plunged 56.1% in the year (down 39% in December) to the equivalent of $612.9 million and liabilities plummeted 81.2% (up 5.9% in December) to $229.5 million.
Gross foreign currency government deposits in the central bank amounted to $6.41 billion at the start of 2013 (down 4.5% in the year and 6.1%, or by $418.6 million, in December).
Gross commercial bank deposits in the NBB were down 27.8% ($1.1 billion) to $2.87 billion (up 0.6% in December).
In 2011 net foreign assets surged 120% (by $4.32 billion) to $7.87 billion due to a 77.2% rise in gross foreign assets to $9.45 billion and a 16.1% drop in gross foreign liabilities to $1.58 billion.
