Preliminary international banking statistics, first quarter 2011

27 July 2011

Statistical commentary on preliminary locational and consolidated banking statistics at end-March 2011 (PDF, 15 pages, 137 kb)

Between end-December 2010 and end-March 2011, the cross-border claims of BIS reporting banks rebounded by 1.5% ($466 billion) after a drop of similar magnitude in the previous quarter. The increase was driven mainly by US dollar lending, to both banks and non-banks, which rose by 3.9%. Euro-denominated cross-border activity again shrank, albeit by only 0.4% compared with a fall of 4.3% in the fourth quarter of 2010. Lending to US residents (+$304 billion), mainly banks in the United States, accounted for most of the increase in cross-border claims on developed countries. Claims also expanded, for the eighth consecutive quarter, on developing countries (+$172 billion). Contractions were recorded vis-à-vis the euro area and the United Kingdom, by $77 billion and $58 billion respectively. Local claims in foreign currencies on residents in reporting countries grew by 1.2%, after a decline in the previous quarter.

Reporting banks' consolidated international claims adjusted for exchange rate movements increased by about 1% in the first quarter of 2011, after a decline of almost 3% in the previous quarter. Local claims in local currency rose by an adjusted 4.6%. On an ultimate risk basis, which adjusts for net risk transfers across borrowing countries, banks' consolidated foreign claims (including local claims in all currencies) increased vis-à-vis all sectors, of which claims on the public sector rose from 18.8% to 19.6% of total claims driven mainly by claims on the US and Germany . With respect to other potential exposures, guarantees extended and credit commitments went up by 8% and 6% respectively, more than reversing the declines seen in the previous quarter.

Data for the first quarter of 2011 are preliminary. Final data, with a detailed analysis of recent trends, will be published in the forthcoming BIS Quarterly Review, to be released on 19 September 2011.