No Result
View All Result
Friday, June 20, 2025
23 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Sat
24 ° Sun
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

Libyan dinar surges to 4.80 against the dollar – a black-market trader’s view

bySami Zaptia
January 26, 2018
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A

By Sami Zaptia.

The black market dollar exchange rate fell to the LD 4.30 mark yesterday (Photo: Archives).
The black market dollar exchange rate fell to the LD 4.80 mark yesterday, a record gain for the dinar in 2018 (Photo: Archives).

London, 26 January 2018:

The Libyan dinar surged to new recent highs against the major hard currencies, touching LD 4.80 per US dollar yesterday. It will be recalled that it was trading at as high as LD 9.70 per dollar in December last year.

On the face of it, there are several fundamental reasons why the Libyan dinar has gained value. There is the prospect of elections being held later this year, putting an end to the political split that many see as the fundamental cause of many of Libya’s current problems – political and economic.

There is also the increased Libyan oil production currently at around 1.2 million barrels per day. This, together with the rise in international crude oil prices means that there are actually more dollars entering the Libyan state’s coffers. Today, the National Oil Corporation’s website was quoting Brent at US$ 69.905 per barrel.

RELATED POSTS

Tripoli PM Aldabaiba closes 25 embassies, suspends overseas education scholarships and limits overseas conference participation – as part of hard currency savings drive

Aldabaiba calls for international stance against East’s uncontrolled spending

In the first week of January, the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) had released some better figures on the state of the Libyan economy. It showed that rampant spending in sectors such as wages and the balance of trade deficit were now under some kind of control.

 

https://www.libyaherald.com/2018/01/05/cbl-reveals-improvements-in-libyas-2017-finances-deficit-down-by-48-percent-no-balance-of-payments-deficit-since-2014/

 

The CBL had also announced that it was increasing the dollar family allowance from US$ 400 to US$ 500 per person and actually started to distribute it this month. Allowing recipients of the dollar allowance to be able to transfer and use it as they please in order to pay for goods and services and not forcing them to cash it in the black market was also seen as a positive move, black-market foreign exchange dealers explained.

 

Conspiracy theory

 

But many Libyans are still sceptical that this exchange rate will last. Many see it as the market-makers sucking the dollars in and drying the market before manipulating it upwards again.

Whatever the real reasons, one black market trader Libya Herald spoke to in Tripoli today, based on anonymity, was adamant it was real and not a ‘’mirage’’.

There was suspicion that at this price the black-market traders were only selling small amounts, but our source said ‘‘There is dollar being sold. It is a real market. You can buy up to US$ 250,000 easily. Don’t be surprised the dollar has crashed. Don’t underestimate the effect of the US$ family allowance to every Libyan individual. That’s 6 million people. That’s a lot of money coming onto the market’’, he explained.

‘‘Equally, the opening of Letters of Credits (LCs). All the big businessmen had amassed a lot of dollars. But to open an LC (at the official exchange rate of LD 1.4 to the dollar) they needed to buy dinars in order to deposit them in their accounts. Remember the CBL insists on being paid 30 percent of any LC in cash – in dinars”.

”So ironically, those who were sitting on dollars were forced to buy dinars at any price so as not to miss out on an LC. Also people have ran out of money. There are no dinars on the market to buy dollars. So, demand for dollars has collapsed and supply is high.’’

‘‘The collapse of dollar and increased liquidity also meant that the exchange rate of cheques which used to have a premium also collapsed to the extent that now cheques are on parity with cash. The banks are now full of cash and I think the banks don’t have a liquidity crisis anymore’’.

‘‘I think if the big guys (black market-trader) offer a couple of million dollars on the black-market in one go, the dollar could collapse further. They are worried by this and that is why they are selling at even this low price. Their dollar values have been sliced in half in days. They are scared they will be stuck with a big loss.  Some of them are sitting on tens of millions’’, he added.

But he insists this must have been orchestrated by the CBL and specifically by its Tripoli Governor Saddek Kaber. ‘‘Saddek Kaber laid a trap for the big black-market traders and they fell for it’’.

‘’A couple of months ago he was raising the red flag saying the country’s finances were in deep crisis. He suckered the big guns in enticing them into stockpiling dollars, and now he has got his revenge on them. If he could do this all along, why didn’t he do it last year? Why did he wait so long? This must have been planned”, he speculated.

He pointed out that usually the Libyan black-market exchange rate reacts sharply and instantly (in favour of the dollar) to bad news in Libya. He questioned how come it failed to do the same to the militia clash that shut Mitiga airport for 6 days last week and to the two bombs in Benghazi. ‘‘The market has been flooded with dollars’’, he concluded.

 

https://www.libyaherald.com/2018/01/15/pc-declares-local-state-of-emergency-as-maetiga-airport-is-attacked-by-pro-terrorist-militia/

 

There is also the view that Kaber was fearful of losing his post at last. After the House of Representatives appointed a new successor in Mohamed Shukri, and rumours that a sizeable number of High State Council members were in favour of his replacement – he feared his time was up.

 

https://www.libyaherald.com/2017/12/23/shukri-could-take-up-new-post-as-new-cbl-governor-in-compromise-move-with-hsc-hor-sources/

 

Asked what are the prospects in the coming weeks and months for the foreign exchange rate, he replied: ‘’Expect anything. If things don’t work out expect the dollar to shoot up again’’ he said and ended by quoting the oft repeated Herodotus line. “From Libya comes the new”.

Indeed. Only in Libya can a foreign exchange black-market trader quote Herodotus.

 

 

The views in this article expressed by sources do not necessarily reflect those of Libya Herald.

Tags: black market foreign exchange ratesCBL Governor Saddek ElkaberdollarfeaturedFX foreign currency exchangeMohamed Al-Shukri

Related Posts

GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

187 new security posts taken over from militias – PM declares victory for the state as all vital Tripoli sites come under its exclusive control for the first time since 2011

June 19, 2025
Interior Ministry’s Diplomatic Missions Protection personnel receiving training in Ukraine
Libya

The Interior Ministry had spent LD 50 billion in 13 years with no result: Acting Interior Minister Trabelsi

June 17, 2025
Interior Ministry’s Diplomatic Missions Protection personnel receiving training in Ukraine
Libya

Nearly 1 million crimes reported to police stations – confirms urgent need to dissolve all parallel security agencies / militias

June 16, 2025
UNSMIL: Warring parties invited to begin negotiations on 29 September
Libya

Libyan Advisory Committee calls on Libyan stakeholders to work with UNSMIL to build unified, sovereign, and democratic Libya 

June 16, 2025
Presidency Council objects to holding of south reconciliation event in Italy
Libya

All recently clashing state and militia forces and their military vehicles will return to their barracks as of yesterday evening

June 12, 2025
Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Criminal proceedings initiated against 141 members of the Central Security Agency and Stability Support Apparatus, and security units associated with them

June 10, 2025
Next Post
UNSMIL seeks US$313 to help one million Libyans

UNSMIL seeks US$313 to help one million Libyans

HEXA Connections, an active NGO that proves life goes on in Libya

HEXA Connections, an active NGO that proves life goes on in Libya

ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • Sirte Free Zone meets Oman Chamber of Commerce at Oman Agrofood 2024

    Sirte Free Zone discusses port development and infrastructure projects with China Harbor‎ Engineering Company

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libya Energy Conference, London, 2 July

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libya’s economic reality: limited resources, liquidity challenges, inflation, and need for monetary base restructuring – Husni Bey

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Construction work progressing at Benghazi’s new Tika airport

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Nearly 1 million crimes reported to police stations – confirms urgent need to dissolve all parallel security agencies / militias

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

187 new security posts taken over from militias – PM declares victory for the state as all vital Tripoli sites come under its exclusive control for the first time since 2011

The Interior Ministry had spent LD 50 billion in 13 years with no result: Acting Interior Minister Trabelsi

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Fill the forms below to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.