COVID-19 pandemic glooms economic outlook
After a significant slowdown in 2019, the Belarusian economy slides into recession in 2020. The projected decline in real GDP of 6% mainly reflects the influence of external factors: globally low energy prices and other repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also renewed problems with oil supplies from Russia and the continuation of the Russian tax manoeuvre.
The latter is steadily increasing the pressure on the national budget and leaves little room for any public stimulus packages. The depreciation of the currency and rising wages in the run-up to the presidential elections in August 2020 imply substantial challenges to the National Bank; nevertheless, inflation remains well under control. Debt repayments and foreign exchange interventions have diminished FX reserves, implying additional risks against the background of a deteriorating current account. We expect the economy to recover in 2021, but this will not fully compensate for the losses in 2020.
