Central Bank Circular Sets Up $60 Million in Bank-Funded Foreign Currency Loans for Essential Goods Imports

EcoIran, citing Tasnim, reported on Friday, 16 October 2026 (24 Mehr 1405) that, under a new circular from the Central Bank's foreign exchange operations department and following a Central Bank approval, rules have been issued for granting foreign currency facilities worth $60 million from banks' own resources to finance imports of essential goods. The mechanism is to run until the end of the current year to ease importers' financing and keep essential goods flowing in.

The same EcoIran report notes that the scheme's effectiveness depends on repayment terms, the cost of the facilities and applicants' real access to them. An importer who borrows foreign currency today may repay several months later, when the exchange rate may have changed, and uncertainty over the repayment currency and who bears any difference will affect take-up. The report also says the source of the participating banks' foreign currency matters for judging how sustainable the scheme is.