Albania C-Bank Injects 48.65 Bln Leks (393 Mln Euro) in Q2

“To increase the free liquidity in the banking system during the second quarter of the year the central bank started to inject liquidity on a weekly basis [through repo deals] plus the usual injections through T-bill purchases," the bank said in a statement.

The bank absorbed 42.34 billion leks in repo funds and injected 4.0 billion leks through direct Treasury bill purchases and repo deals during the first quarter of 2008.

The central bank auctions repo funds at volume tenders, usually held on Thursdays, to regulate the liquidity in Albania's banking system.

The Bank of Albania (www.bankofalbania.org) also said it had intervened on the foreign exchange market in the second quarter. The bank purchased foreign currency worth 6.7 billion Albanian leks to fill its foreign exchange reserves. During the period, on behalf of the finance ministry the bank also sold foreign currency worth 8.32 billion leks and bought currency worth 317 mbillion leks.

(1 euro = 123.7139 Albanian leks)