The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has reported a significant decline in the banks’ liquidity needs in September 2019, caused, on the one hand, by a significant return of banknotes to banks’ coffers and by the increase in foreign exchange sales by the banks to the BCT, on the other.
According to a report published by the BC on Wednesday, this drop in liquidity needs stood at -1,567 million dinars (MD), compared to the previous month, to 12,848 MD.
This reduction was helped by the expansive effects generated by the significant return of banknotes to the banks (620 MD) and the increase of foreign exchange sales by banks to the BCT (net purchases of 295 MD in September).
The volume of Central Bank money market intervention decline in September 2019 to 11,581 MD, compared to 11,662 MD in August 2019, driven by the continued decline in foreign exchange swap transactions ( for monetary policy purposes), worth 863 MD in September 2019 against 943 MD last August and 2,855 MD a year ago.
Besides, the reliance of banks on the 24-hour lending facility significantly reduced to 1,413 MD, against 2,798 MD, a month earlier.
