Course on International Reserves Statistics

The course was carried on from March 31 to April 4, 2025, at the CEMLA facilities in Mexico City, under the sponsorship of the Statistics Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The course covered the conceptual framework of international reserves statistics, guidelines for compiling the data template on international reserves and foreign currency liquidity (reserves template), and updates on international reserves topics that will be incorporated into the seventh edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM7).

The main goal of the course was to provide an in-depth understanding of the concepts, definitions, and compilation techniques for official reserve assets and to identify assets that meet the criteria for international reserves.

The course began with a brief overview of international accounts, the classification of financial instruments, and the characteristics of reserve assets, and continued with an overview of the reserve asset reporting template. The differences between official reserve assets and other foreign currency assets were then emphasized.

The course continued with some expositions on predetermined net drains and short-term contingent drains, as well as memorandum items. The role of special drawing rights (SDRs) was detailed.

In the final part of the event, the categories of net international reserves and the statistical treatment of loans from member organizations to the IMF and loans granted by the Institute were reviewed, as well as the international reserves data declared to the IMF.

Throughout the program, participating members gave presentations sharing their countries' experiences with different aspects of international reserves.

The course was attended by 21 participants from 12 Spanish- and English-speaking countries, in addition to IMF speakers.