International Banking Statistics, September 2013

According to the statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, the proportion of international business in the local banking sector remained stable in the third quarter of 2013. At end-September 2013, the share of international assets in total banking assets edged up to 84.9% from 84.8% at end-June 2013, whereas the share of international liabilities in total banking liabilities dropped slightly to 81.1% from 81.2%. Foreign currencies were the dominant denomination in international banking transactions. At end-September 2013, the shares of Pataca (MOP) in total international assets and total international liabilities were 0.6% and 1.8% respectively. Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and Other Foreign Currencies (OFCs) accounted for 36.0% and 63.4% of total international assets as well as 47.5% and 50.7% of total international liabilities respectively. International Banking Assets
At end-September 2013, total international assets expanded by 6.2% from a quarter ago or 26.6% from a year earlier to MOP813.7 billion (USD101.9 billion). Within this total, external assets grew by 28.8% year-on-year to MOP636.2 billion while local assets in foreign currencies increased by 19.1% to MOP177.5 billion. As a major component of international assets, external loans & deposits advanced by 29.9% to MOP595.2 billion. International Banking Liabilities
Total international liabilities increased by 5.9% from three months ago or 26.2% year-on-year to MOP777.7 billion (USD97.4 billion). Of this total, external liabilities and local liabilities in foreign currencies grew year-on-year by 25.2% to MOP396.4 billion and 27.2% to MOP381.3 billion respectively. Foreign currency deposits held by residents and the MSAR government continued to form a major component of international liabilities. This type of deposits grew by 27.5% to MOP358.0 billion at end-September 2013 from MOP280.8 billion at end-September 2012. 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-September 2013, claims on Hong Kong and Mainland China occupied 33.8% and 27.6% of total external assets correspondingly, while claims on Portugal, Luxembourg and Germany took up 9.7%, 1.7% and 1.2% respectively. On external liabilities, Hong Kong and Mainland China accounted for 52.3% and 19.1% of the total respectively while France, Portugal and Germany took up respective shares of 4.4%, 4.2% and 2.2%. 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.