Possibilities of the development of trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the People’s Republic of China in the context of negotiations on signing a bilateral agreement on free trade were discussed on Wednesday between Moldova’s Acting Prime Minister Aurel Ciocoi and potential investor from China Mr. Chu Song.

The cost of eurobonds placement by Moldova will not exceed 3-3.5%, a source in the Moldovan Government told Infotag. According to it, such a yield is forecasted by the representatives of foreign banks, who consulted the Government on the eurobonds issue question.

Moldova's foreign exchange reserves exceeded $ 3.783 billion in 2020, having increased by $ 783.9 million over the year. As Infotag reports, citing data from the National Bank (NBM), in December reserves increased by more than $ 103 million.

At the last auction for the placement of state securities (SS), the Ministry of Finance did not collect nearly 300 million lei. As Infotag reports, offering securities for 970 million lei, the volume of placement amounted to only 691.8 million lei.

Specialists from the National Bank of Moldova have familiarized themselves with new rules of international bodies in the sphere of prevention of money laundering and terror funding.

Since Monday, prices for gasoline and diesel have increased again.

The Moldovan Government held an extraordinary working meeting on Tuesday and decided to push up salaries to health workers (employed in the state healthcare system) by 30% starting from January 1, 2021. The raise has been stipulated in the Law on the 2021 State Budget and in the Law on the 2021 Fiscal Policy.

On Monday, the Pro-Moldova Party, in the person of its leader Andrian Candu, challenged with the Constitutional Court the annulment of the 'law on the stolen billion' that was approved on December 16 by the Socialist faction and the Platform "For Moldova" group.

The banks' shareholders may receive dividends in a few months, - the President of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), Octavian Armasu, said. He stated in an interview with Radio Free Europe that "the NBM had recommended refraining from paying dividends in 2020."

In 2021, deductions from the State Budget to local budgets and to the funds of social insurance and compulsory health insurance will reach 30 billion lei, Chairman of the parliamentary Standing Committee for Economy, Budget and Finance Dr. Vladimir Golovatiuc stated at a press briefing on Thursday.

Late at night on Wednesday, the Moldovan Parliament approved the so-called ‘package of budget laws’ for the next year and the Concept of the 2021 Fiscal Policy – all in the absence of opposition parties, who announced yet on Wednesday noon their boycotting of the plenary meeting “because its agenda contains toxic bills”, and who then walked out of the room.

On Wednesday, the 101-member Parliament of Moldova annulled the Law on the order of returning the billion U.S. dollars [equivalent] stolen from the Moldovan banking system. The annulment law was passed by the votes of 56 deputies representing the Party of Socialists, the Sor Party and the Platform “For Moldova”.

The Party of Action and Solidarity suggests preserving VAT rates for agricultural producers at the present-time level.

Incumbent President Igor Dodon believes that the adoption of the Fiscal Policy and budgets for 2021 is the Parliament’s number one priority for the present moment. He stated this after a consultative meeting with Parliament Speaker Zinaida Greceanii and Prime Minister Ion Chicu. The Premier, who is taking a course of COVID-19 treatment at home, participated in the conversation in an online mode.

The average monthly accrued salary/wage size marked 7991.3 lei in September against 7849 lei a month in the second quarter of the current year.

Rodgers Chawani, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative in Moldova, described the legislative initiative of the deputies of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) to abolish the “law on the billion” as “an attempt to reverse the reforms begun in the banking sector”.

The parliamentary Standing Committee for Economy, Budget and Finance approved on Wednesday a bill on annulling the Law on the order of returning of the US$1 billion equivalent stolen from the Moldovan banking system. The bill stipulates annulment of the 2016 Law on transforming into a national debt the time credits issued by the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) to three problematic commercial banks in 2014-2015.

The Chisinau Primaria [city government] has published on its website the draft of the 2021 Municipal Budget and invited all interested people and organizations to speak out their proposals, ideas etc. by no later December 24.

The political party called Platforma “Demnitate si Adevar” [DA, “Dignity and Justice”] has subjected the Government-prepared draft of the 2021 Fiscal Policy to a fairly strong criticism and has proposed more than 30 amendments to the document.

Six former heads of three bankrupt banks - Banca de Economii, Unibank and Banca Sociala, as well as Shor holding, were charged on two counts - large-scale fraud and money laundering in the interests of a criminal organization.