Preliminary data for BIS international banking statistics released

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has today for the first time released preliminary quarterly data on cross-border assets and liabilities of banks by residence and nationality (the so-called locational banking statistics) and on consolidated cross-border claims of internationally active banks.

The data are for the end of the second quarter of 2005. Methodological statistical information required to interpret these data is also provided.

From now on the BIS will make preliminary data for both datasets available around 15 weeks after the end of the reporting period, significantly shortening the publication lag for these statistics.

The preliminary datasets, available at www.bis.org/statistics, are subject to revision. An analysis of the trends identified by the final data will be published in the BIS Quarterly Review scheduled for publication on 5 December 2005.