Almaty. March 19. Kazakhstan Today - The International reserves of the country as a whole (in current prices), including money of the National Fund (by preliminary data $22 844.6 million), have increased by 1.7 % and have made $42 316.9 million, the agency reports referring to the message of the National Bank of the Republic. Decrease in net internal assets of the National Bank in the first half of March, 2008 caused compression of monetary base by 0.7 % (or by 10.9 billion KZT). Net international reserves in current pricesof the National Bank have grown by 2.3 % (or by $429.5 million). Purchase of currency in the internal currency market and receipt of currency on accounts of the government in the National Bank have been partially neutralized by decrease in the rests on the correspondent accounts of the banks of the second level in foreign currency in the National Bank and operations of the National Bank for service of external debt of the Ministry of Finance. As a result, net foreign currency reserves (hard currency) have grown by $395.7 million, assets in gold - by $33.8 million, as a result of increase of its price in the world markets by 2.0 %. In real terms, net international reserves of the National Bank have increased by 2.1 %; net assets in hard currency - by 2.3 %, assets in gold have decreased by 0.4 %.