According to the statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, the proportion of international business in the local banking sector increased marginally during the second quarter of 2010. At end-June 2010, the share of international assets in total banking assets rose to 84.8% from 84.1% at end-March 2010, while the share of international liabilities in total banking liabilities edged up to 78.1% from 78.0%. Foreign currencies remained as the dominant denomination in international banking transactions. At end-June 2010, the shares of Pataca (MOP) in total international assets and total international liabilities were 0.5% and 1.1% respectively. Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and Other Foreign Currencies (OFCs) accounted for 45.1% and 54.4% of total international assets as well as 54.8% and 44.0% of total international liabilities respectively. International Banking Assets
At end-June 2010, total international assets increased by 4.7% from three months earlier or 16.5% year-on-year to MOP389.2 billion (USD48.5 billion). Within this total, external assets expanded by 20.0% to MOP304.6 billion in a year while local assets in foreign currencies rose by 5.7% to MOP84.6 billion. As a major component of international assets, external loans & deposits jumped by 23.8% over a year earlier to MOP280.7 billion, mainly attributable to the 80.4% increase of loans to overseas non-bank borrowers. International Banking Liabilities
Meanwhile, total international liabilities expanded by 4.1% quarter-to-quarter or 14.8% from a year earlier to MOP358.8 billion (USD44.7 billion). Of this total, external liabilities and local liabilities in foreign currencies amounted to MOP182.6 billion and MOP176.1 billion in respective order. Compared with a year earlier, the former soared by 19.0% while the latter increased by 10.7%. Foreign currency deposits held by residents in the local banking system formed a major component of international liabilities. This type of deposits grew by 11.7% to MOP167.8 billion at end-June 2010 from MOP150.2 billion a year earlier. Breakdown of External Banking Assets and Liabilities by Region
The majority of external assets and liabilities were related to the regions of Asia and Europe. At end-June 2010, claims on Hong Kong and Mainland China occupied respectively 39.2% and 13.6% of total external assets, while claims on Portugal and the UK took up respective shares of 13.1% and 1.5%. On external liabilities, Hong Kong and China occupied 50.4% and 14.0% of the total respectively while Portugal and France took up respective shares of 8.9% and 8.2%. The compilation of International Banking Statistics follows the methodology advocated by the Bank for International Settlements in order to facilitate Macao SAR’s participation in the “Locational International Banking Statistics” project of the international organisation.
