Bank of Portugal publishes December 2024 securities statistics highlighting EUR 10.6bn net public debt issuance and 28% growth in resident ESG debt

The Bank of Portugal released updated securities statistics for December 2024, showing that in 2024 general government issued more debt securities than it redeemed for the first time since 2020, with a net difference of EUR 10.6bn. The update also reports a 28% increase in the total value of ESG debt securities issued by resident entities during 2024. At end-December 2024, the total value of debt securities issued by resident entities stood at EUR 298.5bn, down EUR 2.3bn from the previous month, mainly due to a EUR 2.6bn market-value decline in public debt securities, which represented 60% of the total. Resident ESG debt securities increased by EUR 3.0bn in 2024, largely driven by green ESG instruments (+EUR 2.4bn), reaching EUR 13.6bn across 72 outstanding securities and accounting for 4.6% of the resident debt securities stock; these instruments were mostly issued by non-financial corporations and held by the financial sector and non-residents. The stock of listed shares issued by resident entities fell to EUR 59.1bn, down EUR 720m month on month, reflecting a EUR 971m market-value decline in non-financial corporations’ shares. The next update is scheduled for 18 February 2025.