ArmInfo.Armenia's gross international reserves (GIR) increased by 52.1% year-on-year, or $2.119 billion, in August 2026, setting a new record of $6.189 billion. In the same period of 2025, growth was more modest, at 19.3%, or $658.8 million, reaching $4.070 billion. In July alone, GIR increased slightly, by 5% (or $289.7 million), compared to a modest 0.5% (or $22.2 million) growth a year earlier.
Over the first seven months of this year, GIR increased by 21.7% (or $1.102 billion), while a year ago, a more modest 10.4% (or $384.4 million) growth was recorded for the same period. This is evidenced by data from the Central Bank of Armenia.
Specifically, the annual growth of GMR in July 2026 was driven by a similar 52.5% increase in external assets in foreign currency to $6.171 billion, with a 27.3% decline in the share of SDRs in the IMF to $17.1 million. In the same period of 2025, the former showed a relatively modest 18.9% increase, while the latter saw a significant 3-fold increase.
Over the first seven months of this year, the growth of GMR was driven by a similar 21.4% increase in external assets in foreign currency, with a 12-fold jump in the share of SDRs in the IMF. This was also observed a year earlier during the same period, when a 10% increase in the former was accompanied by an 11-fold jump in the latter. In July of this year alone, The growth of foreign assets in foreign currency accelerated from 1% to 5%, and the share of SDRs in the IMF rose from a 93% decline to a significant 14- fold increase. A year earlier, in July, the stagnation of the former was accompanied by a trend in the latter rising from a 91% decline to a significant 13-fold increase.
Armenia's gross international reserves (GIR) increased by 38% or $1.4 billion in 2025, reaching $5.086 billion, while in 2024 there was a weak growth of 2.2% or $76.2 million, reaching $3.685 billion. In particular, external assets in foreign currency increased by 38.1% to $5.085 billion, with a decline in the share of SDRs in the IMF by 32.1% to $1.3 million, while in 2024 there was a weak growth of the former by 2.1% and a jump in the latter by 4 times. It is worth noting that in August 2023, both the GIR and external assets in foreign currency reached a record high of $4.220 billion and $4.217 billion, respectively. This level was surpassed two years later, with subsequent monthly record-breaking levels and a continuation of this trend in 2026. The historical maximum of the SDR share in the IMF was recorded in August 2021 - $178.2 million. The share of bank gold in Armenia's GIR was reset to zero back in December 2003.
As a reminder, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), under the new SBA (Stand-By Arrangement), opened a Stand-By Arrangement facility to Armenia in the first ten days of June 2026 in the amount equivalent to SDR 18.4 million (approximately $25.1 million), bringing the total available funds since the program's launch in December 2025 to SDR 36.8 million (approximately $50.2 million). The SBA's objective is to support government policies and the reform program to maintain macroeconomic stability, promote sustainable and inclusive growth, and provide protection against downside risks in uncertain environments.
Prior to this, in early December 2025, the IMF Executive Board approved a new three-year SBA (Stand-By Arrangement) with Armenia for a total of SDR 128.8 million, or approximately $175 million (100% of Armenia's IMF quota). Concurrently, the IMF completed the previous sixth review under the SBA, which was set to expire on December 11, 2025.
