Reserve assets reduced by 0.5bn dollars

Official reserve assets and other foreign currency assets dropped by $490.4m in May.

The information was received from the Bulleting of Banking Statistics of May 2012 published by the National Bank of Belarus. The assets increased by $408.2m since the beginning of the year.

Foreign currency reserves almost did not change in May demonstrating a $0.3m drop to $3.877bn. Since the beginning of the year, the foreign currency reserves have reduced by $611.8m (from $4.49bn on January 1, 2012, to $3.88bn in May 1, 2012).

The reserves show the most significant drop in other foreign currency assets not included in official reserve assets, which include liquid assets (foreign currency and monetary gold) that don't meet a long–term credit rating "A" on the rating scales of the Fitch Ratings or Standard and Poor’s international rating agencies ("A2" on the Moody’s Investor Service rating scale).

Foreign currency deposits in May fell by $522.5m from $2.626bn to $2.104bn.

The regulator expects securities, deposits and loans payments at a sum of $3.609bn during the year.

The National Bank estimated its liabilities in foreign currency swaps at a sum of $969.4mn in the neatest 3 months. The regulator is expected to sell $966.3m in earlier agreed currency swaps in a period from 1 to 3 months.

The general sum of the predetermined net drains on foreign currency assets for 3 months is estimated at $1.424bn.