Hong Kong's foreign currency reserves drop to $433 billion by September 2026, exceeding currency in circulation fivefold.

Hong Kong's latest foreign currency reserve assets figures released

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (October 7) that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$433.0 billion as at the end of September 2026 (end-August 2026: US$442.8 billion) (Annex).

There were no unsettled foreign exchange contracts at end-September and end-August 2026.

The total foreign currency reserve assets of US$433.0 billion represent over five times the currency in circulation or about 35per cent of HongKong dollar M3.

Release calendar

The release calendar of foreign currency reserve assets for 2027 is announced below:

Reference Month	Release Date
January 2027	February 5, 2027
February 2027	March 5, 2027
March 2027	April 7, 2027
April 2027	May 7,2027
May 2027	June 7, 2027
June 2027	July 7, 2027
July 2027	August 6, 2027
August 2027	September 7, 2027
September 2027	October 7, 2027
October 2027	November 5, 2027
November 2027	December 7, 2027
December 2027	January 7, 2028

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At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of October 2026, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:

October 7	SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
October14	SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
October30	SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
October30	Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account

(Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)

(Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)

Foreign Currency Liquidity

Currency Board Account

Source: AI-found images

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming female passenger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (October 7) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted a 39-year-old Mainland female passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, at Hong Kong International Airport on September 7 and seized about 11 600 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $52,000 and a duty potential of about $38,000, from her personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

An incoming female passenger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (October 7) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. Photo shows the duty-not-paid cigarettes seized. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases