ArmInfo. Armenia's gross international reserves (GIR) in January 2025 decreased by 6.5% per annum or $231.3 million, exceeding $3.344 billion, which was observed in the same period of 2024 - a decline of 3.1% or $113.6 million - to $3.576 billion. In January of this year alone, GIR decreased by 9.2% (or $340.1 million).
The downward dynamics further distanced GIR from the historical maximum of $4.2 billion recorded in August 2023. This is evidenced by data from the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. In particular, the annual decline in GMR is due to a similar reduction in external assets in foreign currency by 6.2% to $3.300 billion, and a decline in the share of SDR in the IMF by 24.1% to $43.8 million, while in the same period of 2024, a decline in the former by 3.9% was accompanied by an increase in the latter by 88.4%. Let us recall that the record level of GMR and external assets in foreign currency was reached in August 2023 - $4.220 billion and $4.216 billion, respectively, and the historical maximum of the share of SDR in the IMF was recorded in August 2021 - $178.2 million.
In January alone, the decline in the GMR was due to a deterioration in the trend of external assets in hard currency from 4.6% growth to 10.4% decline, with a reversal in the trend of the share of SDR in the IMF in the opposite direction - from an 85% decline to a 22-fold increase.
Armenia's gross international reserves (GIR) increased by 2.3% or $82.4 million in 2024, exceeding $3.684 billion, while in 2023 a decline of 12.4% or $509.9 million was recorded - to $3.602 billion. In particular, external assets in foreign currency increased by 2.2% to $3.682 billion, and the share of SDR in the IMF jumped 4 times to $2 million, while in 2023 there was a decline in both the former by 12.3% and the latter by 92%. The share of bank gold in Armenia's GIR was reset to zero back in December 2003.
In mid-December 2024, following the 4th SBA review, the IMF Executive Board approved a stand-by facility for Armenia in the amount of SDR 18.4 million (about $24.12 million), bringing the total available amount to SDR 92 million (about $120.59 million). The International Monetary Fund approved this three- year precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) for Armenia in the amount of SDR 128.8 million on December 13, 2022, immediately opening access to SDR 18.4 million, with the remaining amount to be made available after final reviews of six semi-annual periods.
