OREANDA-NEWS. January 20, 2010. President Alexander Lukashenko met with Pyotr Prokopovich, head of the National Bank of Belarus, to receive an update on the performance of Belarus’ banking system in 2009 as a whole and in December 2009 in specific. The meeting also discussed what the banking system would have to accomplish in 2010, reported the Official website president.gov.by.

The rate of the Belarusian rouble remained stable throughout December 2009 and was not changing against the currency basket. The objective to keep the Belarusian rouble within the planned trading band in 2009 was being accomplished effectively throughout the year: since 2 January till 31 December 2009 Belarus’ currency weakened by 7.9 per cent while the planned permissible band was ±10 per cent. In January 2010 the Belarusian rouble continues to remain stable, although there are certain fluctuations within the currency basket.

Pyotr Prokopovich assured the President that the National Bank would continue to ensure the stability of the national currency. Mr Prokopovich said there would be no sharp ups and downs in the rate of the Belarusian rouble against the currency basket, and added that there may be even some raise in the rate of the Belarusian rouble.