RIYADH: Bonds and sukuk maturing for Qatar’s government during 2024 have amounted to 20.3 billion riyals ($5.5 billion), according to the central bank. Data from the nation’s financial institution showed that this year’s government bond repayments amount to 14.45 billion riyals, including stakes worth 1.7 billion riyals for a 7-year term due mid-April. The 3-year term bonds reached 950 million riyals, while the 5-year term amounted to 11.8 billion riyals. Sukuk due in 2024 amounted to 5.85 billion riyals, including sukuk worth 2.95 billion riyals for terms of five and seven years, due in the middle of the current month. Treasury bills and sukuk of the Qatar Central Bank due in 2024 amounted to 16.3 billion riyals. The breakdown reveals that 1.5 billion riyals of securities mature in April, while the majority, totaling 7.7 billion riyals, are scheduled for maturity in May. Those slated for June, July and August as well as October, amounted to 1.3 billion riyals, 2 billion riyals, 3.3 billion riyals, and 1.5 billion riyals, respectively. The total value of Qatar’s local debt instruments, including bonds, sukuk, and treasury bills, amounts to 132.7 billion riyals, representing 39.5 percent of the total public debt of 336 billion riyals. The Ministry of Finance announced earlier in March, a 1.4 billion riyals surplus in Qatar’s budget for the fourth quarter of 2023, taking the total surplus to 43.1 billion riyals. “The State Budget recorded a surplus of QR 1.4bn in Q4 2023, and the surplus was directed to reducing public debt, and therefore there is no cash surplus,” the ministry said in a post on X. Revenues have hit 55.6 billion riyals, down 10 percent from the previous quarter. Expenses rose to 54.2 billion riyals. The ministry noted that the budget surplus of the third quarter would be directed to repay government debts and enhance reserves.