Definition
International reserve assets are defined as external assets that are immediately available and under the control of monetary authorities to meet balance of payments financing needs, to intervene in exchange markets to influence the exchange rate, and for other related purposes.
Further information
In the case of euro area countries, such as Spain, international reserve assets include external assets denominated in currencies other than the euro and issued by residents outside the EMU, which can be immediately available to the national central bank and under its control if necessary, to meet balance of payments financing needs. They consist of gold, special drawing rights, and reserve positions in the International Monetary Fund held by the Eurosystem.
The Balance of Payments and the International Investment Position. Methodological Note.
Related concepts
- Balance of Payments
- International Investment Position
- Eurosystem
- Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
- Monetary gold
References
- Sixth Edition of the IMF’s Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual.
- International reserves and foreign currency liquidity. Guidelines for a data template (IMF).
Legal frame
- Regulation (EC) No 184/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005 on Community statistics concerning balance of payments, international trade in services and foreign direct investment
- 2012/120/EU: Guideline of the European Central Bank, of December 9, 2011, on the statistical reporting requirements of the European Central Bank in the field of external statistics (recast version) (ECB/2011/23).
Links to data tables
Selection of tables
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Balance of Payments and International Investment Position. International reserves and foreign currency liquidity.
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Foreign currency liquidity
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Foreign currency liquidity
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Balance of Payments and International Investment Position. International reserves and foreign currency liquidity.
Other resources
- BExplore the external statistics (interactive charts).
- In brief. Graphical summary of external statistics.
Update date: January 2025
