TUNISIA · CENTRAL BANK
Key Facts
- —The country Tunisia is a North African country on the Mediterranean, run by President Kais Saied, and it pays for much of its fuel and food in foreign currency.
- —What happened On Wednesday 21 October 2026 the central bank showed net foreign assets of 24,022 million dinars (about US$8.0 billion), covering 92 days of imports.
- —The comparison A year earlier, on 24 October 2025, the figure was 25,006 million dinars (about US$8.3 billion), which covered 107 days.
- —The October path Cover has stayed between 91 and 93 days since 1 October, according to the Tustex business site, which tracks the bank’s daily data.
- —Cash in circulation Banknotes and coins reached 29,128 million dinars (about US$9.7 billion) on 20 October, about 15% more than a year earlier.
- —What it means for you Holders of Tunisian debt see a thinner cushion, though the central bank is tightening to protect it.
- —Still open The data are provisional, and the bank has not said how much 2026 debt is still to be paid.
Tunisia reserves cover 92 days of imports, the Central Bank of Tunisia reported on Wednesday 21 October 2026. Net foreign assets stood at 24,022 million dinars (about US$8.0 billion), the bank’s daily-indicators page showed.
For US investors and travellers, the figure is a quick test of whether Tunisia can pay its foreign bills without a new loan. Cover is lower than a year ago but steady through October, and the bank is tightening bank rules to defend it.
What the Central Bank Reported
The Central Bank of Tunisia, known as the BCT, prints the dinar and manages the country’s foreign-currency reserves. Its website listed net foreign assets of 24,022 million dinars (about US$8.0 billion) on 21 October, marked as provisional data.
The Tunisian daily Al Chourouk carried the figure on Wednesday evening, saying Tunisia reserves cover 92 days of imports. The bank also listed 7,609 million dinars (about US$2.5 billion) of refinancing lent to banks.
How the Cushion Has Moved
Tunisia reserves cover 92 days, and cover has stayed between 91 and 93 since October began, Tustex reported from the daily BCT data. On 14 October it was 91 days, with assets of 23,785 million dinars (about US$7.9 billion).
Cover was lower in July, at about 90 days on 20 July with 22.7 billion dinars (about US$7.6 billion), Mosaique FM reported. That month Tunisia paid a 740 million euro (about US$831 million) loan instalment, and cover rose to 97 days by early August, L’Economiste Maghrebin said.
Why Days of Imports Matter
Import cover tells readers how long a country could keep buying fuel, wheat and machinery abroad if no new foreign money arrived. Analysts often treat about three months, or 90 days, as a thin but workable level.
A year earlier the cushion was larger, at 107 days on 24 October 2025 with 25,006 million dinars (about US$8.3 billion). Tunisia reserves cover 92 days at 24,022 million dinars (about US$8.0 billion), about 4% fewer dinars and 15 fewer days.
The Dinar, Cash and New Bank Rules
Money in the economy is growing fast, with 29,128 million dinars (about US$9.7 billion) of banknotes and coins in circulation on 20 October. A year earlier the total was 25,226 million dinars (about US$8.4 billion), La Presse reported.
To soak up that liquidity, the BCT will lift the reserve requirement on current accounts from 1% to 3% on Sunday 1 November. Banks must then park 30 million dinars (about US$10 million) per billion of deposits, against 10 million (about US$3.3 million) before.
Pressure From Fuel Bills and the Budget
Costlier energy is the main drain, with the import bill at 11.3 billion dinars (about US$3.8 billion) in January to August. The central bank’s 7 October rate decision held the policy rate at 7.00% while inflation ran at 5.6%.
The 2027 budget bill would let the BCT lend the Treasury up to 9.8 billion dinars (about US$3.3 billion) at no interest, over 15 years. Tunisia’s stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund leave the state few other sources of cheap money.
Where Foreign Currency Still Comes From
Worker remittances and tourism earnings together passed 13.2 billion dinars (about US$4.4 billion) in nine months, up 4.7% from a year earlier. Remittances reached almost 6.9 billion dinars (about US$2.3 billion), and tourism receipts 6.3 billion dinars (about US$2.1 billion).
Those inflows covered 142% of the 9.3 billion dinars (about US$3.1 billion) of foreign debt payments, La Presse reported on 3 October. Tunisia reserves cover 92 days even so, as the energy import bill rose about 28% in a year.
What It Means for US Readers
For US holders of Tunisian bonds or loans, the news that Tunisia reserves cover 92 days means a cushion that is shrinking slowly, not collapsing. A reading below 90 days would draw closer scrutiny from rating agencies and lenders.
For US travellers, a dollar buys almost three dinars, which keeps costs on the ground low but reflects a currency that is not strong. Firms that sell to Tunisia should expect the central bank to ration foreign currency if the cushion falls further.
What Is Not Known
The BCT marks the 21 October figure as provisional, so the claim that Tunisia reserves cover 92 days can still be revised. It has not published a forecast for reserves at the end of 2026.
No source says how much foreign debt falls due before the year ends. It is also unclear whether parliament will pass the central bank advance unchanged, or how far the higher reserve requirement will slow lending.
More: Tunisia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that Tunisia reserves cover 92 days?
The net foreign-currency assets could pay for about 92 days of Tunisia’s imports at current prices. The Central Bank of Tunisia reported the figure on Wednesday 21 October 2026.
How large are Tunisia’s reserves in dollars?
Net foreign assets were 24,022 million dinars (about US$8.0 billion) at 2.997 dinars to the dollar. The figure is provisional.
Are the reserves higher or lower than last year?
They are lower, at 92 days against 107 days on 24 October 2025. In dinars the drop is about 4%, from 25,006 million (about US$8.3 billion) to 24,022 million.
Why is the central bank raising the reserve requirement?
The BCT wants to absorb extra liquidity and contain inflation, an analyst told the state news agency TAP on 17 October. The rate on current accounts rises from 1% to 3% on 1 November 2026.
Is Tunisia in a currency crisis?
Nothing in the BCT data points to a crisis, because cover has held between 91 and 93 days in October. The trend is down on last year, so the central bank is watching it closely.
Sources: Banque Centrale de Tunisie, Principaux indicateurs, 21 October 2026; Al Chourouk, Tunisia’s foreign-currency reserves cover 92 days of imports, 21 October 2026; Tustex, BCT reserves fall to 91 days of imports, 15 October 2026; Mosaique FM, foreign-currency reserves on 20 July 2026, 21 July 2026; L’Economiste Maghrebin, BCT net foreign assets cover 97 days, 7 August 2026; La Presse de Tunisie, BCT labour income and tourism receipts to end September, 3 October 2026; La Presse de Tunisie, Tunisia’s foreign assets cover 107 days of imports, 25 October 2025; L’Economiste Maghrebin, BCT triples the reserve requirement from 1 November, 14 October 2026; Business News, Bassem Ennaifer explains the reserve requirement rise, 17 October 2026; L’Economiste Maghrebin, 2027 budget bill and BCT advances to the Treasury, 15 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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