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

     According to statistics published today (September 30) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, total deposits with authorized institutions increased by 1.4 per cent in August 2026. Among the total, Hong Kong dollar deposits and foreign currency deposits increased by 2.2 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively in August. In the year to end-August, total deposits and Hong Kong dollar deposits increased by 7.3 per cent and 8.6 per cent respectively. Renminbi deposits in Hong Kong decreased by 2.1 per cent in August to RMB1,101.5 billion at the end of August. The total remittance of renminbi for cross-border trade settlement amounted to RMB1,537.6 billion in August, compared with RMB1,383.7 billion in July. 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 0.3 per cent in August, and increased by 7.0 per cent in the year to end-August. Among the total, loans for use in Hong Kong (including trade finance) increased by 0.4 per cent, while loans for use outside Hong Kong remained virtually unchanged in August. The Hong Kong dollar loan-to-deposit ratio decreased to 69.3 per cent at the end of August from 70.7 per cent at the end of July, as Hong Kong dollar deposits increased at a faster pace than Hong Kong dollar loans.
      
     Hong Kong dollar M2 and M3 both increased by 2.1 per cent in August, and both increased by 9.9 per cent when compared to a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted Hong Kong dollar M1 increased by 3.5 per cent in August, and increased by 4.7 per cent compared to a year ago, reflecting in part investment-related activities. Total M2 and total M3 both increased by 1.4 per cent in August. Compared to a year earlier, total M2 and total M3 both increased by 11.0 per cent.  
      
     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/Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:30

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