The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     According to statistics published today (February 27) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, total deposits with authorized institutions decreased by 0.1 per cent in January 2026. Among the total, Hong Kong dollar deposits increased by 1.3 per cent, while foreign currency deposits decreased by 1.1 per cent in January, mainly reflecting fund flows of corporates. Renminbi deposits in Hong Kong increased by 3.5 per cent in January to RMB993.9 billion at the end of January. The total remittance of renminbi for cross-border trade settlement amounted to RMB1,016.4 billion in January, compared with RMB1,177.4 billion in December. It should be noted that changes in deposits are affected by a wide range of factors, such as interest rate movements and fund-raising activities. It is therefore more appropriate to observe the longer-term trends, and not to over-generalise fluctuations in a single month.
      
     Total loans and advances increased by 1.1 per cent in January. Among the total, loans for use in Hong Kong (including trade finance) and loans for use outside Hong Kong increased by 0.7 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively in January. The Hong Kong dollar loan-to-deposit ratio decreased to 72.3 per cent at the end of January from 72.9 per cent at the end of December, as Hong Kong dollar deposits increased at a faster pace than Hong Kong dollar loans.
      
     Hong Kong dollar M2 and M3 both increased by 1.1 per cent in January, and both increased by 3.8 per cent when compared to a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted Hong Kong dollar M1 increased by 2.6 per cent in January, and increased by 16.9 per cent compared to a year ago, reflecting in part investment-related activities. Total M2 and total M3 both remained virtually unchanged in January. Compared to a year earlier, total M2 and total M3 increased by 9.9 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively.  
      
     As monthly monetary statistics are subject to volatilities due to a wide range of transient factors, such as seasonal funding demand as well as business and investment-related activities, caution is required when interpreting the statistics.

Ends/Friday, February 27, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:45

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