Bulletin on the FX Market
As of the end of August, the tenge strengthened by 0.4%, reaching 538.60 tenge per US dollar. The average daily trading volume on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange decreased from 260 to 217 million US dollars over the course of the month, contributing to a total trading volume of 4.6 billion US dollars.
Foreign currency sales from the National Fund amounted to USD 420 million in August, enabling the allocation of transfers to the republican budget as well as the financing of an infrastructure project for the construction of the «Taldykorgan-Usharal» main gas pipeline. The share of sales from the National Fund accounted for 9% of the total trading volume, or approximately USD 20 million per day.
According to the preliminary government forecast for transfers to the republican budget, the National Bank anticipates foreign currency sales from the National Fund ranging between USD 400 and 500 million.
As part of the mirroring mechanism, 290 billion tenge was sterilized in August. In September foreign currency sales equivalent to approximately 290 billion tenge are expected for these purposes.
While managing transactions involving the National Fund assets and while implementing mirroring mechanism, the National Bank follows the principle of market neutrality, ensuring a consistent and even-handed approach to foreign currency sales.
There were no currency interventions conducted by the National Bank in August.
The volume of foreign currency revenue sold last month under the mandatory sale requirement for quasi-government sector entities amounted to approximately USD 366 million.
In accordance with the previously announced plan and considering that the share of foreign currency assets in the UAPF is approximately 40%, the National Bank did not purchase US dollars for the UAPF investment portfolio in August. Currency purchases are also not planned for September.
The National Bank remains committed to transparency and will continue to fully disclose information on foreign exchange market operations. In the short term, the trajectory of the tenge will be driven by market expectations, quarterly tax payments, global market conditions, and geopolitical developments. The National Bank reaffirms its dedication to the flexible exchange rate regime aimed at preventing imbalances and safeguarding gold and foreign exchange reserves.
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