PRAGUE: The Czech Republic's 2021 debt financing needs have increased by 182.1 billion crowns to 728.4 billion crowns ($33.74 billion) due to expectations of a bigger budget deficit, the Finance Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry raised its minimum domestic bond issuance for this year to 580 billion crowns from 400 billion seen in the original debt financing strategy released in December.

The higher debt need follows an increase in the expected central state budget deficit to 500 billion crowns from an originally planned 320 billion.