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.
