KIEV, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Yakiv Smoliy, an acting head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), the country's central bank, was appointed by the parliament on Thursday as the governor of the institution.

Smoliy's candidacy, which was submitted by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, was approved by 247 votes in favor, passing the 226-vote minimum requirement, said a statement posted on the parliament's website.

Smoliy will replace Valeria Gontareva, who tendered his resignation in April last year after leading the NBU for almost three years.

Earlier in the day, the parliament accepted Gontareva's resignation.

Smoliy, 57, a well-known Ukrainian banker and economist, joined the NBU as the deputy governor in April 2014. He has served as acting head of the Ukrainian central bank since Gontareva's resignation.