Central Bank of Libya reports $4.9 billion foreign currency deficit

The Central Bank of Libya has released financial data for the first eight months of 2026, revealing a significant foreign currency deficit. During this period, foreign currency usage exceeded oil revenues and royalties by approximately $4.9 billion.

Total revenues for the period reached approximately 99 billion Libyan dinars. Oil revenues accounted for 80.8 billion dinars, while oil royalties contributed 15.3 billion dinars. A portion of the foreign currency gap was covered by returns from the bank's investments.

On the expenditure side, salaries represented the largest portion of spending at 46.9 billion dinars. Additionally, the bank reported spending over 2.58 billion dinars to support the General Electricity Company.

The bank's foreign assets declined to approximately $96 billion by the end of August 2026, down from $99.4 billion at the end of 2025. In the banking sector, 1.6 million checks worth 81 billion dinars were accepted, and 5.82 million banking cards were activated.