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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (September 30) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,656.6 billion as at August 31, 2021, HK$103.5 billion higher than that at the end of July 2021. Hong Kong dollar assets increased by HK$68.0 billion and foreign currency assets increased by HK$35.5 billion.
      
     The rise in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to an increase in Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued but not yet settled. The rise in foreign currency assets was mainly due to an increase in the month-end balances of unsettled purchase of securities.
      
     The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of August 2021 was HK$2,114.5 billion, decreased by HK$3.0 billion, or 0.1 per cent, from the end of July 2021. The decline was mainly due to a decrease in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness.
      
     The amount of Backing Assets decreased by HK$1.4 billion, or 0.1 per cent, to HK$2,332.0 billion. The decrease was mainly attributable to the redemption of Certificates of Indebtedness, which was partly offset by the translation effect of foreign currency investments into Hong Kong dollar. The backing ratio increased from 110.20 per cent at the end of July 2021 to 110.29 per cent at the end of August 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 September 2021, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

September 7 (Issued)	SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
September 14 (Issued)	SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
September 30	SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
September 30	Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account

Ends/Thursday, September 30, 2021
Issued at HKT 16:30

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