The Russian central bank said on Thursday it will increase its foreign currency sales to 8.94 billion roubles (US$113.53 million) a day from July 1 for the rest of the year, compared with 8.86 billion roubles previously.
Under a complex scheme of foreign currency operations, the central bank buys and sells forex to ensure supply on the domestic market and also on behalf of the finance ministry, which runs the budget reserve National Wealth Fund (NWF).
The netting of the central bank’s own transactions and ones it conducts on behalf of the finance ministry provides a figure for overall forex interventions by the state, a major factor for the rouble market.
The announcement implied that net sales of foreign currency by the state will rise to 7.45 billion roubles from 7.36 billion roubles from July 1 until July 4, when the finance ministry will announce new parameters for NWF transactions.
