As of August 1, Uzbekistan’s official reserves reached $37.4 billion, 1.06 billion dollars more than a month ago, according to a Kun.uz report based on data from the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
This reserve value is a record indicator for the period after 2018 when data disclosure began. Still, $37.4 billion is enough to cover 12 months of imports.
The increase in the value of international reserves is mainly due to the continued rise in gold reserves and prices. The physical volume of gold in reserves increased by 310,000 ounces (9.64 tons) to 12.05 million ounces (374.8 tons), and the value reached $29.15 billion (+$1.84 billion). According to the Central Bank, the impact of the increase in the price of gold from $2,327.6 to $2,419.6 in July amounted to $1.11 billion.
In July, foreign currency assets decreased by $781.5 million to $7.69 billion and since the beginning of the year, have declined by $1.68 billion, partly affected by the extinguishment of the sovereign Eurobonds issued in 2019, worth $500 million.
The value of securities purchased by the Central Bank was 35.3 million dollars.