Madar (Tunis) - The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has raised the reserve requirement for banks from 1% to 3%, effective November 1, 2026, economic and financial analyst Bassem Ennaifer said in a statement to the state news agency TAP on Saturday, October 17.
According to Ennaifer, the measure was set out in BCT circular No. 2026-11 dated October 9. It applies to sight accounts and other sums owed to customers, but not to special savings accounts and other savings accounts, term deposits, cash certificates or certain other financial products.
In practice, for every billion dinars in sight deposits, banks will now have to lock up 30 million dinars at the central bank, up from 10 million, for only a modest return.
The analyst said the aim was to regulate liquidity during a period of inflation, with notes and coins in circulation reaching about 29.3 billion dinars as of October 14, 2026. The measure should limit banks' capacity to extend new loans, and thus money creation, while also serving as a prudential safety cushion.
Ennaifer warned, however, that the decision would raise banks' costs and could reduce their ability to finance small and medium-sized enterprises and the wider economy.
