According to the balance sheet of Banque du Liban (BDL), the central bank’s total assets added 7.33% compared to last year, to reach $162.7B by end of March 2022. The increase was mainly due to the 32.48% year-on-year (YOY) rise in other assets, grasping 37.46% of BDL’s total assets and reaching $60.94B by end of March 2022.
Moreover, the gold account, composing 10.91% of BDL’s total assets, increased by 11.3% yearly to reach $17.74B by the same period as the international gold price is increasing globally amid the war in Ukraine and universal uncertainty.
Meanwhile, BDL’s foreign assets, grasping 10.13% of total assets, decreased by 26.88% YOY to stand at $16.48B by end of March 2022. In more details, BDL’s foreign assets dropped by 7.55% since year start with $105.581M drop in only 2 weeks by end of March 2022.
On the liabilities front, financial sector deposits, 67.41% of BDL’s total liabilities, slightly increased by 1.82% and reached $109.67B by end of March 2022 compared to last year, of which more than two thirds are denominated in dollars
Looking at Currency in Circulation outside of BDL, gripping 14.97% of BDL’s total liabilities, it increased annually by 2.04% and reached $24.36B by end of March 2022. Nevertheless, as the Circular 161 was introduced in last December, the money in circulation has been dropping considerably to record a fall by 19.77% YTD till end-March. .
BDL Total, Foreign assets and Currency in Circulation end of March ($B)
