$10.3 billion is the remaining reserve at the Central Bank of Lebanon; this was stated by the Minister of Finance in the caretaker government, يوسف الخليل. This amount has dramatically decreased in recent years, and now, with the announcement that the Central Bank will stop purchasing dollars through the Sayrafa platform, it is necessary to question whether it will be able to continue securing dollars for circulars 158 and 161. And for how long?
Economic expert جاسم عجاقة believes that the process of buying and selling dollars by the Central Bank in the past allowed for the continuity of circulars 158 and 161. عجاقة says in an interview with MTV: "I believe it will continue to do so because there are no indicators suggesting otherwise. However, logically, if the Central Bank remains committed to what the governor stated regarding stopping dollar purchases through the Sayrafa platform, this means that in the absence of income from dollars, this amount has a limited lifespan and cannot be used indefinitely."
Since the Central Bank cannot touch the $10.3 billion, of which the mandatory reserve is a part according to it, is the end near? عجاقة responds: "Time is becoming limited because this money will run out, but the exact date of this happening remains unknown as central banks rely on the element of surprise."
