Holders of Irish Government Bonds: July 2016

14 September 2016 Press Release

 View information release with charts (PDF 505.83KB)and related data tables.

Key Developments:

  • The nominal value outstanding of government bonds decreased by €417 million to €120,499 million in July 2016.
  • Within the next 5 years, €49, 532 million of government bonds will mature with €23,345 million maturing within the next 3 years.
  • Outstanding government bonds[1] stood at €120,499 million in July 2016, this is a decrease of €417 million from last month.

Within the next 5 years, €49,532 million of government bonds will mature (Table 1). Of this, €23,345 million will mature in the next 3 years, with a further €26,187 million in the two years after. Non-residents hold 65.5 per cent of these maturing bonds (Chart 1).

Estimated non-resident holdings decreased over the month to €68,050 million, the lowest amount since December 2014. 

The resident Non-Bank Financial sector fell by 2.9 per cent over the month, due to a drop in Pension Fund holdings. However, it is important to note that the resident Non-Bank Financial sector has only partial coverage in our data. Therefore, caution should be exercised when interpreting any movements in this reporting sector.

Detailed tables and the explanatory notes can be found on the Central Bank of Ireland’s website here.

[1] Please see background information below and the explanatory notes for further information

Background information

This data series was published for the first time in July 2014. The new series beginning in July 2013 is based on improved information sources, so it is not directly comparable with previous publications. Care should, therefore, be exercised in comparing the new series with earlier publications.

The change has arisen due to the introduction of the Securities Holdings Regulation by the ECB in July 2013. The dataset is compiled from data submitted by all custodians resident in Ireland, direct reporting by end investors and information from the Government Bond Register held by the Central Bank to provide breakdowns by maturity and by holding sector.