RBZ says USD reserves backing new currency increase $370 million from $285 million

By Bloomberg

HARARE: Cash and mineral reserves backing Zimbabwe’s new currency have risen to approximately $370 million from $285 million over the past three months, the state-run Sunday Mail reported citing central bank governor John Mushayavanhu.

The increase in currency and mineral reserves provides a strong “buffer” for the Zimbabwe Gold, or ZiG, against external forces, according to the report.

Mushayavanhu said the central bank has been accumulating reserves from royalties of gold and conversion in kind of other minerals such as diamonds, lithium and platinum.

“As a result, the total reserves have progressively increased about 30% from $285 million as at April 5” to above $370 million as at the end of June, he said.

The southern African country introduced the ZiG, which began trading on April 8. It replaced the Zimbabwe dollar, which had lost 80% of its value against the greenback this year.

In September 2022, Zimbabwe introduced regulations to compel mining firms to pay half of their royalties to the government in the commodities themselves, as part of measures to build up mineral reserves. Zimbabwe has the world’s third-largest reserves of platinum, and also mines nickel, chrome, lithium and coal.