Argentina central bank to terminate $14 billion in liquidity options contracts
Adds detail, background in paragraphs 6-8
BUENOS AIRES, July 18 (Reuters) -Argentina's BCRA centralbank said on Thursday it had agreed with lenders to terminate liquidity options contracts worth approximately 13.17 trillion pesos ($14.2 billion), saying this would help reduce uncertainty concerning monetary policy.
The bank added that 10.89 trillion pesos of the total corresponds to American options and will be exercised immediately, while 2.28 trillion pesos are linked to European options, and will be redeemed 30 days prior to maturity.
The remaining amount of immediately exercisable options was reduced to 22% of the original total, the bank said.
"This operation contributes significantly to reduce monetary policy uncertainty by eliminating one of the largest potential issuance elements that existed in the financial system, without direct control of the BCRA," the bank said in a statement.
Theprocess cuts out another source of potential monetary expansion after Argentina pledged earlier this week to stop expanding its monetary base as part of the libertarian government's policy to combat inflation close to 300%.
As the new program could slow reserve growth, Argentina's Economy Ministry said it would buy over $1.5 billion from the central bank in order to meet interest payments on its so-called Bonares and global bonds due in January.
President Javier Milei's government is aiming to stabilize the money supply by balancing its purchase and sale of U.S. dollars to help close the gap between official and parallel exchange rates traded in financial markets.
Earlier on Thursday, the government also approved the issuance of up to 20 trillion pesos ($21.7 billion) in a one-year fiscal liquidity bill known as a LeFi in order to mop up excess peso trading. The LeFis will be used to set the nation's benchmark interest rate, according to a central bank source.
($1 = 924.5000 Argentine pesos)
Reporting by Walter Bianchi, Jorge Otaola and Kylie Madry; Writing by by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Sarah Morland; Editing by Chris Reese
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