Research and analysis using the BIS central bank statistics

Publications featured on this page have been selected for their particular relevance to the BIS central bank statistics. They include working papers, articles from BIS Quarterly Reviews and IFC publications.

Opportunities and challenges in compiling long series: the BIS central bank statistics
Feb 2026 / IFC Bulletin no 66

This paper introduces a new BIS data set featuring long series on the size of central banks' balance sheets. Statistics on central banks' balance sheets play a pivotal role in understanding monetary policy implementation and, broadly, central bank policy actions.

Recent enhancements to the BIS statistics
Sep 2017 / BIS Quarterly Review

The BIS central bank policy rates data set features long time series for more than 40 advanced and emerging market economies, on a daily and monthly frequency. 

Selected publications

Feb 2026 Using archival data at the Bank of England to understand the evolution of central bank balance sheets
Relies on archival evidence to derive historical statistics on the Bank of England's balance sheet, showing how it can be used to understand its modus operandi over time
Feb 2026

Filling the gaps: accounting for the first 223 years of Banque de France balance sheet - a proposal for retrospective balance sheet construction
Outlines a method for creating a retrospective series of balance sheet items for the Banque de France using both published and archival data
Nov 2024 Interest rate risk exposures of non-financial corporates and households
Discusses the implications of interest rate risk-exposures for monetary policy transmission and financial stability
Jun 2024

Central bank capital and trust in money: lessons from history for the digital age
Discusses the evolution of central banks' equity in recent decades, highlighting that while a strong capital position is neither necessary nor sufficient for preserving trust in money, central bank capital matters for the trust in money
May 2023

Measuring the past to better understand the present and chart the future: the central bank network on historical monetary and financial statistics
Highlights the value of historical economic statistics
Sep 2022 Historical monetary and financial statistics for policymakers: towards a unified framework
Takes stock of what counts as "good practice" in collating historical monetary and financial statistics and how it should be implemented in different contexts
Apr 2013 Central bank finances
Looks at the relevance of a central bank's own finances for its policy work
Dec 2011 Why central bank balance sheets matter
Sheds light on the crucial role of central bank balance sheets in designing and pursuing policies, particularly in the wake of financial crises