Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 22 April 2016

Items not related to monetary policy operations

In the week ending 22 April 2016 gold and gold receivables (asset item 1) remained unchanged.

The net position of the Eurosystem in foreign currency (asset items 2 and 3 minus liability items 7, 8 and 9) decreased by EUR 0.1 billion to EUR 261.7 billion. This change was due to the customer and portfolio transactions carried out by Eurosystem central banks during the period under review.

US dollar liquidity operations

The above liquidity-providing transactions were conducted by the Eurosystem in connection with the standing swap arrangement that the European Central Bank has with the Federal Reserve System.

The holdings by the Eurosystem of marketable securities other than those held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.2) increased by EUR 0.3 billion to EUR 349.3 billion. Banknotes in circulation (liability item 1) decreased by EUR 0.2 billion to EUR 1,068.6 billion. Liabilities to general government (liability item 5.1) increased by EUR 23.7 billion to EUR 162.2 billion.

Items related to monetary policy operations

The Eurosystem’s net lending to credit institutions (asset item 5 minus liability items 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 4) increased by EUR 3.5 billion to EUR 241 billion. On Wednesday, 20 April 2016, a main refinancing operation (asset item 5.1) of EUR 55.7 billion matured and a new one of EUR 54 billion, with a maturity of one week, was settled.

Recourse to the marginal lending facility (asset item 5.5) was virtually nil (compared with EUR 0.6 billion in the preceding week), while recourse to the deposit facility (liability item 2.2) was EUR 274.9 billion (compared with EUR 281.2 billion in the preceding week). The holdings by the Eurosystem of securities held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.1) increased by EUR 19.2 billion to EUR 1,041.5 billion. The table below provides the detailed breakdown of asset item 7.1 into the different portfolios. All portfolios are accounted for at amortised cost.

Current accounts of euro area credit institutions

As a result of all transactions, the current account position of credit institutions with the Eurosystem (liability item 2.1) decreased by EUR 5.3 billion to EUR 579 billion.