Lebanon plans to sell an unlimited amount of US dollars to support the rapidly depreciating pound
Lebanon’s central bank governor announced on Tuesday that they will sell unlimited amounts of US dollars to stop the rapid depreciation of the Lebanese pound. The exchange rate on the central bank’s platform has increased from 70,000 to 83,500 Lebanese pounds per dollar since March 1, prompting the decision to set a new rate of 90,000 Lebanese pounds per dollar.
The Lebanese pound’s parallel market rate weakened from roughly 121,000 to the US dollar on Tuesday morning to 140,000 by the afternoon, prompting residents to briefly seal off roads in anger over their declining purchasing power.
The pound has lost more than 98% of its value since the economy began unravelling in 2019. The central bank revalued the pound officially from 1,507.5 to 15,000 per US dollar in February but it has traded at a much lower and varying rate on Sayrafa.
Tuesday’s move came with the approval of the caretaker premier and caretaker finance minister and aimed to “limit the devaluation of the Lebanese pound in the parallel market,” Salameh said.
Those willing to trade could use Grade A exchange houses or banks which lift their strike, he said. Lebanese banks resumed a strike last week to protest against legal measures taken against them.
The pound began rising in value on the parallel market immediately after the decision was announced.
Unifying multiple exchange rates is one of several steps sought by the International Monetary Fund for Lebanon to clinch a $3 billion aid package that would help it emerge from the meltdown.
But as Lebanon approaches the one-year mark since it signed a preliminary deal with the IMF, residents are still dealing with a dizzying array of exchange rates.
Salameh said in February that Lebanon still had about $10 billion in foreign currency reserves. The country had more than $30 billion in FX reserves when the crisis began.