According to the report, to which VerAngola had access, the central bank - which states that 2022 "was a year of consolidation of the flexible exchange rate regime" on its monitoring -, in the period in question, "made currency available to the market in a total amount of 1.17 billion dollars, 71.51 percent more than available in 2021", which stood at 679.73 million dollars.
The BNA's intervention in the foreign exchange market, the document adds, was intended to "minimize the volatility of the exchange rate arising firstly from excess supply and, subsequently, from the drastic reduction in supply in foreign currency".
On the other hand, commercial banks, in addition to purchases made from the central bank, "bought a total of 11.06 billion dollars from the market" – translating into 50.20 percent more than purchases in 2021 –, of which 5,29 billion were "placed by the National Treasury, 4.65 billion by the oil sector and 1.13 billion by the diamond sector", the statement also says.
After all, last year, banks bought a total of 12.22 billion dollars from the market. "Thus, in 2022, purchases by commercial banks (from the BNA and other purchases) totaled 12.22 billion dollars", reads the report.
The BNA also informs that the national currency has appreciated by around 10 percent. "With this level of supply, the exchange rate of the kwanza against the dollar in the formal market closed the year 2022 with a quotation of USD/AOA 503.691 against USD/AOA 554.981 verified in December 2021, which represented an appreciation of 10.18 percent of the kwanza against the dollar", indicates the document.
In exchange offices, reveals the report, the national currency "had the same movement", by appreciating at the end of 2022 "compared to the same period of the same period by 17.21 percent, from USD/AOA 616.019 in December 2021 to USD/AOA 525.573 in December 2022".
