Mubasher: Money supply (M2) at banks operating in Qatar increased 1.2% year-on-year in January 2018, according to the Qatar Central Bank's (QCB) monthly monetary bulletin. 

M2, which includes current and saving accounts, as well as deposits, hiked to QAR 598.87 billion ($164.51 billion) in the first month of 2018, up from QAR 500.83 billion ($137.58 billion) in the same month a year earlier, the data showed.

On monthly basis, M2 declined 0.7% in January, from QAR 603.33 billion in December 2017.

By the end of January 2018, total banknotes issued by the QCB rose 1.3% to QAR 11.77 billion, versus QAR 11.62 billion in January 2017.