The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (March 31) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,581.8 billion as at February 28, 2021, HK$46.9 billion higher than that at the end of January 2021. Foreign currency assets increased by HK$43.8 billion and Hong Kong dollar assets increased by HK$3.1 billion.
      
     The rise in foreign currency assets was mainly from the increase in Fiscal Reserves placements after issuance of the HKSAR Government's Green Bonds and the increase in the month-end balances of unsettled purchase of securities. The rise in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to the mark-to-market valuation on Hong Kong equities.

     The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of February 2021 was HK$2,117.0 billion, increased by HK$1.2 billion, or 0.1 per cent, from the end of January 2021. The rise was mainly due to an increase in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness. Since the amount of Backing Assets remained unchanged at HK$2,324.6 billion, the backing ratio decreased slightly from 109.87 per cent at the end of January 2021 to 109.80 per cent at the end of February 2021.
 
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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of March 2021, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

March 5 (Issued)	SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
March 12  (Issued)	SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
March 31	SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
March 31	Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account

Ends/Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Issued at HKT 16:30

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