Doha: International reserves and foreign currency liquidity at Qatar Central Bank (QCB) increased by 3.7% in January, reaching QR 255.166 billion, compared to QR 246.047 billion in the same month in 2024.
According to Qatar News Agency, data released by Qatar Central Bank showed a rise in its official reserves at the end of January compared to the same month in 2024, by approximately QR 8.942 billion, bringing the total to QR 196.097 billion. This increase occurred despite a decline in the QCB’s balances of foreign bonds and treasury bills by around QR 7.551 billion to the level of QR 128.863 billion in January.
The official reserves consist of main components, including foreign bonds and treasury bills, cash balances with foreign banks, gold holdings, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) deposits, and Qatar’s quota at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition to official reserves, there are other liquid assets (foreign currency deposits), and together these two elements form what is known as total international reserves.
Gold holdings increased by around QR 12.582 billion at the end of January, compared to January 2024, bringing the total to QR 36.651 billion. Balances with foreign banks increased by approximately QR 4.059 billion, bringing the total to QR 25.526 billion at the end of January this year, compared to January 2024.
On the other hand, the balance of Qatar’s SDR deposits at the IMF decreased by QR 150 million at the end of January, reaching QR 5.054 billion, compared to January 2024.