KULOB, January 22, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- 5.478 million somoni of dilapidated banknotes was immobilized in Khatlon’s Kulob region in 2008, head of the branch of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) in Kulob, Abdukarim Nematov, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, the NNBT’s branch replaced 1.715 million somoni of dilapidated banknotes with the new ones, 1.677 million somoni of dilapidated banknotes were replaced through Agroinvestbon’s branch, and 1.148 million somoni of dilapidated banknotes were replaced through the branch of Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank).

According to him, replacement of dilapidated banknotes with the new ones does not affect the somoni exchange rate because “since introduction of Tajik currency in October 30, 2000, only one third of the total volume of issued money is in circulation now.”