Tunisia's total volume of cumulative debt service has increased by almost 25% last December to 4,088.7 million Tunisian dinars (MTD), compared with the same period of 2015, according to the monetary and financial indicators, published by the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT).

    The Central Bank also reported the decline in cumulative tourism earnings on the same date by 104.6 MTD, compared to 2015, to 2,251.1 MTD, state news agency (TAP) reported.

    The same holds for net foreign currency assets, which declined by 148 MTD on December 29, 2016 from 13,226.3 MTD in 2015 to 13,078.3 MTD by 2016, i.e. 114 days of import in 2016, compared with 119 import days in 2015.

    The key interest rate remained unchanged in the last two years at 4.25%, while the money market rate (MMR) fell from 4.34% in 2015 to 4.06% at the end of 2016.

    With respect to the volume of banknotes and coins in circulation, it increased by 1,389 MTD to 10,231 MD by the end of 2016, compared to 8,842 MD in 2015.