Results for Economy

The United Nations is calling for a $2.5 Trillion support package for developing countries to deal with the coronavirus shock. UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said the economic fallout from the shock is ongoing and increasingly difficult to predict but there are clear indications that things will get much worse for developing economies before they get better.

A $14 billion COVID-19 response package has been approved by the World Bank and IFC’s Boards of Directors, to fast-track financing to assist companies and countries efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the fast spread of the virus.

Tonga’s official Foreign Reserves had risen slightly by $0.2m to $489.5m (equivalent to 7.8 months of imports cover), while annually, Foreign Reserves increased by $20.90m due to higher receipts of budget support, grants, and project funds from development partners, the Reserve Bank of Tonga stated on 21 January.

The National Reserve Bank made a record profit of $6 million in 2018/2019, and presented government with $4.2 million share of earnings.

A cheque for $7.5 million pa'anga was paid to the Tonga Development Bank from the Public Service Retirement Fund Board (PSRFB) for its purchase of a 15% shareholding in the government-owned bank, increasing the number of shareholders to three.

Although Tonga’s inflation rate dropped last year to 5.3% it remains the highest inflation rate of the 14 Pacific Islands members of the Asian Development Bank. By Pesi Fonua.

The National Reserve Bank of Tonga aims at securing Tonga’s Foreign Reserves at a level of about $457.3 million, equivalent to more than seven months of imports, with the enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Control Act 2018 on 1 November. The Act requires Tongan exporters to repatriate at least 60% of their export proceeds. And, if the economy fails and the foreign reserves drop below the threshold, - then the Act gives the government the right to try and force Tongans who have invested overseas to repatriate their funds to Tonga. The Act was passed at the time Tonga expected to start repaying its loans to China.

The Tonga Government will start paying $TOP10.8 million a year during the next ten years, (principal only) of its $TOP119m loan from the Exim Bank of China that was used to fund reconstruction projects after the 2006 riots in Nuku'alofa. The start of the principal repayments has already contributed to a $22.8m decline in Tonga’s foreign reserves in September. Now Tonga is confronting the real cost of the riots.

A new Foreign Exchange Control Act 2018 that gives the National Reserve Bank of Tonga sweeping powers to selectively stop Tongan residents from investing offshore and from holding overseas bank accounts, property and other offshore assets, is not currently being enforced. The Governor of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, Dr Ngongo Kioa, said today that the new Act awaits regulations and directives from Crown Law.