South Africa Forex Reserves Drop in March

2026-04-09 07:12 By Judith Sib-at 1 min. read

Gross foreign exchange reserves in South Africa decreased to $77.76 billion in March 2026 from a record $81.01 billion in February.

The changes in the gross reserves and international liquidity position were mainly due to the decrease in the US dollar gold price, valuation adjustments due to foreign exchange and asset price movements and, the foreign exchange payments made on behalf of government.

Gold reserves fell to $18.50 billion from $20.93 billion in the previous month, SDR holdings edged down to $6.59 billion from $6.63 billion, and foreign exchange reserves dropped to $52.67 billion from $53.50 billion.

Meanwhile, the forward position, representing the central bank’s unsettled or swap transactions, rose slightly to $0.59 billion from $0.57 billion.

In March 2025, the reserves stood at $67.45 billion.



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South Africa Forex Reserves Drop in March
Gross foreign exchange reserves in South Africa decreased to $77.76 billion in March 2026 from a record $81.01 billion in February. The changes in the gross reserves and international liquidity position were mainly due to the decrease in the US dollar gold price, valuation adjustments due to foreign exchange and asset price movements and, the foreign exchange payments made on behalf of government. Gold reserves fell to $18.50 billion from $20.93 billion in the previous month, SDR holdings edged down to $6.59 billion from $6.63 billion, and foreign exchange reserves dropped to $52.67 billion from $53.50 billion. Meanwhile, the forward position, representing the central bank’s unsettled or swap transactions, rose slightly to $0.59 billion from $0.57 billion. In March 2025, the reserves stood at $67.45 billion.
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