BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 17. The debt of both the state and private sectors to Iran’s Central Bank at the end of the 11th month of the last Iranian year (February 18, 2025) increased by 41 percent compared to the same period last year (February 19, 2024).
Data obtained by Trend from Iran’s Central Bank indicates that the debt of both sectors amounted to 15.8 quadrillion rials (about $27.3 billion) at the end of the 11th month, a significant rise from 11.2 quadrillion rials (about $19.3 billion) at the same time last year.
The data further shows that the government sector’s debt, which includes state institutions and companies, reached 6.19 quadrillion rials (about $10.6 billion), marking an increase of 40.1 percent compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the private sector’s debt to the Central Bank amounted to 9.67 quadrillion rials (about $16.6 billion), a rise of 41.8 percent from last year.
The overall assets of Iran’s Central Bank, including both domestic and foreign holdings, reached 51.1 quadrillion rials (about $87.8 billion) by the end of the 11th month, reflecting a 148 percent increase from the previous year, when the assets totaled 20.6 quadrillion rials (about $35.3 billion).
To note, the statistics include foreign real estate and loans to the public and private sectors in the ownership of the Central Bank of Iran.
Iran was cut off from the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) system in 2018 following the US sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program. This exclusion has caused significant challenges for Iran’s banks in dealing with global financial institutions, leaving many of their branches and assets abroad largely unused.
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