Ukraine’s international reserves grew by 10.6% in 2018, to $20.8 billion, and in December 2018 the growth was 17.5%, according to tentative data posted on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU). “It was possible to increase international reserves, primarily thanks to the external financing received by Ukraine and the purchase of excess currency in the interbank market by the NBU,” the NBU said in a statement.
As the central bank said, for most of 2018, the currency supply in the interbank market prevailed over demand.
In particular, in the first half of the year, a high level of supply was ensured by a favorable external pricing environment for Ukrainian exports and the revival of investor interest in emerging markets. In the second half of the year, a surplus of currency was recorded thanks to the export earnings for a record grain harvest and other agricultural products, the regulator said. At the same time, the NBU said that in 2018, the net purchase of currency in the interbank foreign exchange market by the NBU provided replenishment of reserves by $1.4 billion.
