Doha, Qatar: International reserves and foreign currency liquidity of Qatar Central Bank (QCB) surged by 11.73% in October 2023 to reach QR243.534bn, compared to QR217.958bn in October 2022.
The figures issued by QCB on Wednesday showed an increase in its official reserves at the end of October 2023, compared to what it was at the end of the same month last year, by about QR22.442bn, to reach QR184.720bn, driven by the increase in QCB balances of bonds and foreign treasury bills by about QR20.567bn, to the level of QR136.198bn in October 2023.
The official reserves consist of major components, which are foreign bonds and bills, cash balances with foreign banks, gold holdings, special drawing rights deposits, and Qatar’s share in the International Monetary Fund. 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.
Relatedly, gold reserves increased, as of the end of October 2023, by about QR6.111bn, compared to October 2022, to reach QR23.173bn.
Meanwhile, the State of Qatar’s shares of SDR deposits at the IMF increased as of the end of October 2023 by QR124m compared to October 2022, reaching QR5.187bn. On the other hand, balances in foreign banks declined by about QR2.361bn to reach QR20.160bn at the end of October 2023 compared to October 2022.
