Skopje, 16 June 2026 (MIA) - The National Bank Executive Board held a meeting on the setup of the monetary policy and decided to raise the central bank bills' interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, from 4 to 4.25 percent, said Governor Trajko Slaveski on Tuesday.

Governor Slaveski said the decision is based on the latest data and information on the impact of global developments on the national economy.

"Regarding the segments that are crucial for the monetary policy, a higher demand of foreign currency was recorded in the corporate sector, with the situation getting back to normal since the start of May. Nevertheless, economic consequences of the geopolitical developments are here and the uncertainty regarding the pace of full stabilization of trends continues to create risks. Inflationary pressure is still persistent. Although the inflation rate slowed down in May, it continues to be at a higher level. At the same time, some domestic factors that have an impact on demand and inflation highlight the need for precaution in the monetary policy", said Slaveski.

In such circumstances, it was assessed that the moderate tightening of the monetary policy, along with the changes to other instruments - mandatory reserves and macroprudent measures - will contribute to the maintenance of the foreign exchange rate stability, stabilization of the inflation and strengthening of inflationary projections.

The Governor said the National Bank remained fully committed to maintaining the foreign exchange rate stability as basic prerequisite for price stability in the medium term.

"We will continue to monitor domestic and international economic and financial trends, assess their effects on the foreign exchange rate market and inflation. The bank is ready to use all instruments at its disposal to maintain the macroeconomic and financial stability," noted Slaveski.

Photo: MIA