Exporters Brought Back More Than $1.5 Billion in Banknotes, Central Bank Says

Mehdi Darabi, the Central Bank of Iran governor's adviser for foreign exchange, said on Saturday, September 26, 2026 that since exporters were allowed to repatriate export earnings as physical banknotes, more than $1.5 billion has returned to the country through that channel in the first months of the scheme. Previously exporters could not bring their currency back in cash form.

Darabi said direct currency trading between importers and exporters under Article 11 of the Seventh Development Plan law has grown from less than $1 million a day to more than $50 million a day, letting importers source currency for raw materials within one day without joining the allocation queue. He said that after the currency policy overhaul in Dey (December to January), repatriation of export earnings rose and the central bank's platforms at times recorded a surplus of currency supply. Banks can now use banknotes bought from exporters to finance imports.