KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s international reserves remained usable as at end-May 2026, based on the detailed breakdown under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) format.
The breakdown provides forward-looking information on the size, composition and usability of reserves and other foreign currency assets, as well as expected and potential future inflows and outflows of foreign exchange of the federal government and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) over the next 12 months.
According to BNM, official reserve assets stood at US$130.63 billion, while other foreign currency assets amounted to US$766.5 million as at end-May 2026.
For the next 12 months, pre-determined short-term outflows of foreign currency loans, securities and deposits amounted to US$6.65 billion.
These include, among others, scheduled repayments of the government’s external borrowings and the maturity of foreign currency Bank Negara Interbank Bills.
BNM said net short forward positions stood at US$24.67 billion as at end-May 2026, reflecting the management of ringgit liquidity in the money market.
In line with the practice adopted since April 2006, the data excludes projected foreign currency inflows from interest income and the drawdown of project loans, which are expected to amount to US$3.04 billion over the next 12 months.
BNM said the only contingent short-term net drain on foreign currency assets was government guarantees of foreign currency debt due within one year, amounting to US$846.4 million.
There were no foreign currency loans with embedded options, no undrawn unconditional credit lines provided by or to other central banks, international organisations, banks and other financial institutions.
BNM also does not engage in foreign currency options vis-à-vis the ringgit.
