DUSHANBE, February 4, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A sharp rise in the USD exchange rate has been reported in the currency exchange offices in Dushanbe.

On February 2, the exchange rate of US dollar against somoni in the currency exchange offices of Dushanbe rose from 1:3.75 in the morning to 1:3.90 in the evening.

Agroinvestbonk, one of Tajikistan’s largest commercial banks, has 100 currency exchange office across the country.  According to Agroinvestbonk’s head office in Dushanbe, they set the purchase rate for USD at 3.75 somoni per 1.00 US dollar and the sale rate at 3.77 somoni per one 1.00 US dollar Monday morning, however, the USD exchange rate in Agroinvestbonk’s exchange offices changed at 11:00 a.m. – the purchase rate was set at 3.80 somoni per 1.00 dollar and the sale rate was set at 3.82 somoni per 1.00 dollar.  “On February 3, Agroinvestbonk’s exchange offices increased the purchase and sale rates for USD to 1:3.86 and 1:3.88 respectively,” the source said.  In the meantime, today’s purchase and sale rates were set at 3.98 and 4.000 somoni respectively

Bonki Rushdi Tojikiston (Tajikistan Development Bank or TDB) on Monday set the purchase rate at 3.67 somoni per one dollar and the sale rate at 3.78 somoni.  On Tuesday, TDB’s purchase and sale rates USD rose to 3.72 and 3.88 respectively.  Today, TDB set the purchase and sale rates at 3.72 and 3.90 respectively.  TDB has two exchange offices.

The source at head office of Tojik Sodirot Bonk (TSB) in Dushanbe said that on Monday and Tuesday, all the 33 currency exchange offices of the bank across the country purchased dollars at the rate of 3.78 somoni per 1.00 dollar and sold them at 3.80 somoni.  Today, TSB set the purchase and sale rates at 3.88 and 4.00 respectively. 

Meanwhile, an official USD exchange rate set by the National Bank of Tajikistan increased from 1:3.68 on February 2 to 1:3.72 today.