Qatar Central Bank's international reserves see 2.6% annual rise

09/01/2026 03:14 AST

Qatar Central Bank's international reserves and foreign currency liquidity increased by 2.65 percent year on year in December, reaching 261.8 billion Qatari Riyals ($71.7 billion).

This compares to 255 billion riyals recorded in the same month of 2024, according to official data reported by the Qatar News Agency.

The expansion of Qatar's reserves signals a strengthening regional financial position that is anticipated to be reflected in the December data of other Gulf Cooperation Council nations.

The trend was prefigured by Saudi Arabia, where foreign reserve assets saw a substantial monthly rise of 5 percent in November, reaching $463.6 billion, suggesting a region-wide accumulation of liquidity and buffers.

GCC central banks, whose currencies are pegged to the US dollar, often mirror the Federal Reserve's monetary policy stance. Accumulating foreign reserves helps maintain the credibility of these pegs, manage liquidity, and defend the agreed exchange rates during periods of global financial volatility.

The data showed that QCB's official international reserves grew by 3.15 percent by the end of December, reaching 202.2 billion riyals compared to the same period in 2024.

However, the bank's holdings of foreign bonds and treasury notes decreased by approximately 6.8 billion riyals, standing at 120.3 billion riyals in December.

The official reserves consist of multiple core components. These include foreign bonds and treasury notes, cash balances held with foreign banks, and gold holdings. Adding to that are Special Drawing Rights deposits, Qatar's quota at the International Monetary Fund, and other liquid foreign currency assets.

Combined, these elements constitute the total international reserves.

The data also highlighted a significant increase in gold reserves, which rose by 24.7 billion riyals to reach 58.504 billion riyals by the end of December, up from 33.8 billion riyals in December 2024.

Furthermore, the balance of SDR deposits from Qatar's IMF quota increased by 193 million riyals, reaching 5.2 billion riyals at the end of December compared to the same month the previous year.

In contrast, balances held with foreign banks declined by approximately 11.8 billion riyals, falling to 18.1 billion riyals by the end of December.

Arab News