The financial account of the balance of payments shows that investment in Estonia was 126 million euros larger in the first quarter of 2016 than investment abroad from Estonia. The net inflow of capital was caused by direct investment in non-financial corporations and foreign aid from the European Union to the general government. The Estonian economy was last a net borrower in the first quarter of 2014.

• The net inflow of direct investment was 127 million euros, most of which came as growth in the intra-group debt liabilities of non-financial companies. The inflow of equity investment was smaller than usual, as the banks paid out dividends in the first quarter.
• The net outflow of portfolio investment was 517 million euros, and Eesti Pank invested the most in foreign countries, as before. The central bank invested 400 million euros in foreign securities, and other sectors invested 87 million euros. Since 2015, Eesti Pank’s investments in foreign securities have increased by 1.8 billion euros as part of the asset purchase programmes of the European central banks.
• The net inflow of other investment totalled 563 million euros, of which 114 million euros was money received from the European Union’s Structural Funds. The purchases of securities by Eesti Pank within the asset purchase programme also had a notable impact on the net inflow, as did the settlements transferred by the other sectors to the rest of the world, which reduced the other investment assets of the central bank by 1.2 billion euros¹.

The net international investment position² at the end of the first quarter of 2016 showed that the external liabilities of Estonian residents exceeded their external assets by 8.5 billion euros, or 41% of GDP. As external assets decreased by more than external liabilities did during the first quarter, the negative net investment position increased by 254 million euros. Of this, 151 million euros was transactions with financial assets and liabilities, 39 million euros was price changes, and 64 million euros was from changes in exchange rates (see the International Investment Position).

Statistics for the external debt show that at the end of the first quarter, the debt assets of Estonian residents from non-residents were 1.8 billion euros larger than their debt liabilities³. Debt assets were 0.5 billion euros less than in the previous quarter and stood at 75% of all external assets at the end of the quarter, with a value of 20.8 billion euros, or 101% of GDP. The volume of debt liabilities decreased by 0.2 billion euros over the quarter to stand at 19 billion euros, or 92% of GDP, which is 52% of all external liabilities (see External Debt).

¹ The inflow and outflow of capital for the central bank is affected by the activities of other sectors in which payments made or received move through credit institutions as settlements between central banks of the euro area through TARGET accounts. If the balance of Eesti Pank’s account in the TARGET system is reduced by settlements between euro area central banks, it means that money is going from Eesti Pank to the other central banks and the assets of Eesti Pank are equally decreasing. In the opposite case, money flows in and the assets of the central bank increase.

Securities bought within the asset purchase programme increase the portfolio investment assets of the central bank but reduce the other investment assets by the same amount because of the settlements transferred out of Estonia, so net external financing is not affected.

² The international investment position is a consolidated balance sheet of the external assets and liabilities of all the institutional sectors of a country as at the balance sheet date at market prices.

³ Debt assets and debt liabilities are components of the international investment position that have a repayment obligation. The external debt does not include direct, portfolio or other investment in equity capital, reinvested earnings, financial derivatives, or the gold of the central bank reserves. The external debt does include the debt assets and liabilities between companies in a direct investment relationship.

The debt assets and debt liabilities position

Eesti Pank will release the statistics for the balance of payments and the external debt for the second quarter of 2016 together with an economic policy and statistical comment on 8 September 2016 at 08.00.

Background Information

Eesti Pank accompanies the release of statistics on the balance of payments, the international investment position and the external debt with a separate statistical comment and an economic policy explanation.

The balance of payments statistical comment focuses on analysis of the current account and the capital account. The statistical comment on external financing gives more depth on the financial account, the investment position and the external debt (see external sector statistics).

Additional information:
Andres Lauba
Eesti Pank Statistics Department
Telephone: 668 0725
Email: [email protected]