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Bank of Latvia
Latvijas Banka is the central bank of Latvia, responsible for the country's monetary policy and financial sector supervision. It provides various financial...
Bank of Latvia
Latvijas Banka is the central bank of Latvia, responsible for the country's monetary policy and financial sector supervision. It provides various financial services, including refinancing operations and deposit facilities. The bank also publishes economic forecasts and financial data.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1922
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Latvia
City
Riga
Corporate office
Riga, Latvia
Principals
Mārtiņš Kazāks
Governor
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Bank of Latvia?
Deputy Governor Santa Purgaile chairs the Investment Committee and oversees day-to-day reserve management and the social-insurance investment portfolio. Governor Mārtiņš Kazāks sets the strategic risk framework with the Executive Board. The State Social Insurance Agency's investment policy is approved by the bank's Council, which includes representatives appointed by Latvia's Saeima.
How are the bank's reserve assets split between gold, fixed income, and other asset classes?
The foreign-reserve portfolio is predominantly invested in investment-grade euro-denominated sovereign and supranational bonds. The bank holds a physical gold position stored at the Bank of England, reported at 6.6 tonnes as of the last available Latvian statistical release. A modest currency-diversification sleeve includes US dollar and other reserve-currency government securities.
Does the Bank of Latvia manage assets exclusively for monetary-policy purposes, or does it also invest for pension funds?
The bank manages assets under two distinct mandates. The first covers Latvia's official foreign-exchange reserves for monetary-policy and exchange-rate stability purposes. The second mandate is as outsourced asset manager for the State Social Insurance Agency, handling approximately €6 billion in old-age, disability, and survivor insurance funds invested across European fixed income, corporate credit, and equity mandates.
What constraints does Eurosystem membership place on the investment portfolio?
As a national central bank within the Eurosystem, the Bank of Latvia must comply with ECB collateral-eligibility rules and reserve-management guidelines that limit credit risk and duration. The bank cannot finance the Latvian government directly, and portfolio allocations are subject to risk-control parameters set jointly with the ECB's Investment Committee.
Does the Bank of Latvia invest in private equity or venture capital?
There is no public record of the Bank of Latvia making direct private-equity or venture-capital investments. The portfolio is confined to liquid fixed-income instruments, central-bank deposits, gold, and externally managed investment-grade credit and public-equity mandates. The bank's authorizing statute and its conservative liquidity requirements do not support illiquid alternatives.
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