South Africa Forex Reserves at 4-Month Low

2026-05-08 06:16 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

Gross foreign exchange reserves fell to $77.09 billion in April 2026, from $77.76 billion in the previous month, marking the lowest level since December 2025.

The changes in gross reserves and the international liquidity position were mainly due to a foreign exchange loan received from the French Development Agency (AFD) on behalf of the government, amounting to US$235.8 million, as well as an increase in the US dollar gold price and valuation adjustments due to foreign exchange and asset price movements.

Foreign exchange reserves specifically declined to $51.7 billion from $52.7 billion in March.

In contrast, gold reserves increased slightly to $18.7 billion from $18.5 billion, while Special Drawing Rights (SDR) holdings edged up to $6.7 billion from $6.6 billion.

Meanwhile, the central bank’s forward position, reflecting unsettled or swap transactions, remained unchanged at $0.59 billion.

In April 2025, the reserves stood at $67.59 billion.



News Stream
South Africa Forex Reserves at 4-Month Low
Gross foreign exchange reserves fell to $77.09 billion in April 2026, from $77.76 billion in the previous month, marking the lowest level since December 2025. The changes in gross reserves and the international liquidity position were mainly due to a foreign exchange loan received from the French Development Agency (AFD) on behalf of the government, amounting to US$235.8 million, as well as an increase in the US dollar gold price and valuation adjustments due to foreign exchange and asset price movements. Foreign exchange reserves specifically declined to $51.7 billion from $52.7 billion in March. In contrast, gold reserves increased slightly to $18.7 billion from $18.5 billion, while Special Drawing Rights (SDR) holdings edged up to $6.7 billion from $6.6 billion. Meanwhile, the central bank’s forward position, reflecting unsettled or swap transactions, remained unchanged at $0.59 billion. In April 2025, the reserves stood at $67.59 billion.
2026-05-08
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.
2026-04-09
South Africa Forex Reserves Rise to New Peak
Gross foreign exchange reserves in South Africa rose to $81.060 billion in February 2026, hitting a fresh record high, up from $80.193 billion in the previous month. This was driven largely by increases in gold reserves ($20.930 billion vs $20.670 billion in January) and foreign currency reserves ($53.500 billion vs $52.857). At the same time, the forward position, representing the central bank’s unsettled or swap transactions, increased $0.010 billion to $0.574 billion from $0.564 billion in the prior month. In contrast, SDR holdings saw a decrease of $0.036 billion to $6.630 billion from $6.666 billion.
2026-03-06