It was the first reduction in three weeks and the 20th consecutive week when the bank has capped its repo auction.
The bank bought treasuries from 13 lenders and will sell them back February 25. Demand fell to RON23.2 billion, from RON33 billion in the previous week. The interest rate was 5.25%, equal to the monetary policy rate.
Fund allocations are made on a pro-rata basis when auctions are capped so that banks may have asked for higher amounts to make sure they cover their needs.
The central bank started limiting its weekly repos in early October, in a bid to increase interest rates in the market and help strengthen the leu. (EUR1=RON4.387)