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 Central Bank of Sudan main branch in Khartoum | |
| Headquarters | Al Jamhoria Street,Khartoum[1] |
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| Coordinates | 15°36′15″N32°30′15″E / 15.60417°N 32.50417°E /15.60417; 32.50417 |
| Established | 22 February 1960 |
| Dissolved | April 2023[2] |
| Ownership | 100%state ownership[3] |
| Governor | Amna Mirghani Hassan al-Toum[4] |
| Central bank of | Sudan |
| Currency | Sudanese pound SDG (ISO 4217) |
| Website | cbos |
TheCentral Bank of Sudan (Arabic:بنك السودان المركزي) is thecentral bank ofSudan. The bank was formed in 1960, four years after Sudan's independence. It is located in the capitalKhartoum. In April 2023, the Central Bank's headquarters was destroyed during theSudanese civil war (2023-present).[5]
When Sudan achievedindependence in 1956, the creation of workable monetary arrangements was a priority. The new government first established acurrency board, theSudan Currency Board, in 1957. A 3-man commission of experts from the United States'sFederal Reserve then worked with Sudanese government and finance specialists to create theLaw of the Bank of Sudan for 1959, and in 1960 the Bank of Sudan began operations. To establish the bank, the Sudanese government nationalized theNational Bank of Egypt's operations in the Sudan (some seven branches), and combined them with the Sudanese currency board.[citation needed]
In addition to the normal duties of a central bank, which may includeminting coins andissuing banknotes, managing a country's internal and externalaccounting, and settingmonetary policy andinterest rates, Sudan's central bank is also responsible for fosteringIslamic banking.[citation needed]
After Sudan introduced Islamic law (Sharia) in 1984, the banking and financial industry changed its practices to conform with Sharia. In 1993 the government established theSharia High Supervisory Board (SHSB) to ensure compatibility of financial practices with Islamic principles. In compliance with the SHSB, the government is no longer sellingtreasury bills andgovernment bonds; instead, the Bank sells "Financial Certificates" that comply with Islamic financial principles.[citation needed]
In 1965, Bank of Sudan andCrédit Lyonnais formed a joint-venture bank named Al/An/El Nilein Bank (Nile Bank). Crédit Lyonnais contributed the two branches it had developed since it first entered Sudan in 1953. Bank of Sudan took 60 percent of the shares in Nilein Bank, and Crédit Lyonnais took 40 percent.[citation needed]
In 1970, the Sudanese government nationalized all the banks in the Sudan, changed the names of several, and put them under the Bank of Sudan. Barclays Bank, which had an extensive network of 24 branches, became the State Bank of Foreign Trade, and thenBank of Khartoum. The six branches of Egypt'sBank Misr becamePeople's Cooperative Bank. The four branches of Jordan'sArab Bank became Red Sea Bank or Red Sea Commercial Bank (accounts differ).Commercial Bank of Ethiopia's one branch became Juba Commercial Bank.National and Grindlays Bank, which in 1969 had taken over the four branches that Ottoman Bank had established after it entered in 1949, became Omdurman Bank. In 1973 Red Sea Bank and People's Cooperative Bank were merged into Omdurman Bank. Then in 1984 Omdurman Bank merged with the Juba Commercial Bank to form Unity Bank.[citation needed]
In 1993, Al/An/El Nilein Bank merged with the Industrial Bank of Sudan to form Nilein Industrial Development Bank. In 2006, Dubai-based Emaar Properties and Amlak Finance acquired a 60% stake in Sudan’s El Nilein Industrial Development Bank; the Bank of Sudan retained a 40% stake.[citation needed]
As far as the current state of the Sudanese banking and financial situation is concerned, the bank's "About Bank of Sudan" section states. Since the beginning of the Three Year Economic Program (1990–1993), the Bank of Sudan has carried out policies that aim to revitalize the Sudaneseeconomy, the last of which was the credit policy of 2000 which was based on the following:
The Bank is engaged in developing policies to promotefinancial inclusion and is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion.[6]
As Sudan is one of the biggest countries in Africa, the central bank has abranch bank system. After independence ofSouth Sudan in 2011, the former branch in the new capital of South Sudan,Juba, became theCentral Bank of South Sudan.
During theSudanese civil war (2023-present), the Sudanese economy and banking sector have been suffering wide-ranging disruptions, with damages estimated at 4 billion USD. On 16 June 2023, the Central Bank of Sudan announced emergency measures to sustain the banking sector, including payment of salaries and the provision ofcash flow for citizens.[13][14]
Furthermore, a rocket attack was carried out at a branch of the Central Bank inKhartoum by theRapid Support Forces,[15] on 30 April 2023 during the conflict. Due to thefog of war, no civilian injuries or deaths have been confirmed yet. As a result of the impact, most of the building was shown on fire, having possibly collapsed.[citation needed] In May 2023 it was reported theSudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had been bombing the central bank in order for the RSF not to print money.[5] On 22 March 2025, the SAF retook the bank's headquarters in Khartoum from the RSF.[16]
In September 2025, the central bank declared a ban on the exportation of gold by the private sector as part of efforts to combat smuggling and preserve foreign currency reserves.[17] In October 2025, Sudan's military leader GeneralAbdel Fattah al-Burhan appointed Amna Mirghani Hassan al-Toum as governor of the central bank, making her the first woman to hold the position.[18]
In January 2026, the central bank resumed its operations in Khartoum.[19]
Kaikati, Jack G. 1980. The Economy of Sudan: A Potential Breadbasket of the Arab World?International Journal of Middle East Studies 11, 99-123.
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