BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Approximately
$5 billion in direct investment was made from Azerbaijan abroad in
the first half of 2026, Director of the Statistics Department at
the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), Samir Nasirov, said at a
briefing dedicated to the release of balance of payments data
today, Trend's
correspondent reports from the event.


According to Nasirov, a deficit of $4.4 billion was recorded in
outward direct investments.


"The top five destinations for outward direct investments were
Italy, Türkiye, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, and Georgia," he
explained.


He noted that the primary reason for the increase in investments
in Italy was the acquisition of a stake in Italiana Petroli, one of
the country's leading private energy and fuel distribution
companies. The transaction was valued at approximately $3.2–3.3
billion.


According to the CBA official, $3.6 billion in foreign direct
investment was attracted to the Azerbaijani economy during the
reporting period.


"The main countries investing directly in the national economy
were the UK, Türkiye, Cyprus, Russia, and Iran," he also said.


Nasirov pointed out that against the $3.6 billion in foreign
direct investment attracted to the Azerbaijani economy, $3.8
billion was repatriated from the country. He noted that this
repatriation took place primarily in the form of crude oil and
natural gas.


The CBA official also touched upon the dynamics of the primary
income balance. He noted that as oil and gas prices rise, the level
of profit repatriation tends to increase as well.


"Interest repatriation outflows resulting from the initial
investment portfolio resulted in a net deficit of $1.4 billion,"
Nasirov emphasized.







According to him, interest income derived from the securities
portfolio is a key component ensuring stability in the primary
income balance.


"The growth of foreign assets within portfolio investments paves
the way for an increase in interest income flowing into the country
in future periods. During the reporting period, net interest income
from portfolio investments in foreign securities amounted to $606
million, resulting in a surplus in this category," he
mentioned.


Nasirov further noted that the overall current account surplus
doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching $4.7
billion.


"The primary factors driving the current account surplus were
the foreign trade balance and the secondary income balance," the
CBA official added. He said that a deficit of $3 billion emerged in
the capital and financial account during the first half of
2026.


"The primary factors driving the deficit are a $3.3 billion
increase in net foreign financial assets and an increase of
approximately $300 million in net foreign financial liabilities,"
Nasirov noted.


Touching upon portfolio investments, the CBA official noted that
the main reason for the deficit in this category was a significant
reduction in liabilities.


"Liabilities related to portfolio investments decreased by
nearly $2 billion during the reporting period. This was driven by
the buyback of Eurobonds issued under the Southern Gas Corridor
project," he emphasized.


According to him, this transaction enabled a reduction in
Azerbaijan's foreign liabilities and the successful settlement of a
large-scale debt obligation.