Bank Negara Malaysia reported that its international reserves stood at USD129.5 billion as at 15 May 2026. The reserves position was sufficient to finance 4.6 months of imports of goods and services and was equal to 0.9 times total short-term external debt. Under the previous import coverage measure, the same reserves stock would cover 6.0 months of retained imports of goods. The short-term external debt ratio uses reserves data as at 15 May 2026 and short-term external debt data as at the first quarter of 2026, valued at the first quarter exchange rate. Short-term external debt comprises borrowing from non-residents with a maturity of one year or less, mainly by resident banks for foreign currency liquidity operations and by multinational corporations, including foreign banks, from overseas parents or headquarters. Bank Negara Malaysia noted that these obligations are normally met from external asset holdings and do not pose claims on the central bank’s international reserves.
Bank Negara Malaysia2026-05-22
Bank Negara Malaysia reports USD129.5 billion in reserves with 4.6 months import cover
Bank Negara Malaysia reported international reserves of USD129.5 billion as at 15 May 2026, sufficient to finance 4.6 months of imports of goods and services and equal to 0.9 times total short-term external debt. The central bank noted that short-term external debt, mainly bank and multinational borrowing from non-residents, is typically serviced from external asset holdings and does not normally claim on its reserves.