The proportion of non-local business in Macau’s banking sector rebounded in the first quarter, the Macau Monetary Authority (AMCM) said in a statement yesterday.
According to the statement, the share of non-local assets in banking assets at the end of March increased to 85.9 percent from 85.2 percent at the end of last year, while the share of non-local liabilities in banking liabilities rose to 82.9 percent from 82.1 percent.
Non-local assets increased 6.0 percent from a quarter ago and 10.5 percent from a year earlier to 1.81 trillion patacas at the end of March.
Non-local liabilities increased by 6.1 percent from three months ago and by 11.8 percent year-on-year to 1.75 trillion patacas.
Non-local currencies continued to be the dominant denomination in non-local banking transactions. At the end of March, the local pataca currency’s share in assets and liabilities at 0.7 percent each.
The Hong Kong dollar, the US dollar, the yuan (renminbi) and other currencies accounted for 35.3 percent, 48.3 percent, 11.1 percent and 4.5 percent of non-local assets while their respective shares in non-local liabilities were 40.4 percent, 45.0 percent, 9.8 percent and 4.1 percent.
At the end of the first quarter, claims on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong accounted for 38.3 percent and 29.0 percent of total external assets, while claims on Britain and Portugal took up 1.5 percent and 1.0 percent respectively.
On external liabilities, Hong Kong and the mainland accounted for 47.1 percent and 23.7 percent of the total respectively, while Britain and France took up 5.5 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.
– Xinhua, MPD
