Methodology
The data are based on the one hand on regulated reports to the National Bank, both of an administrative nature and survey-based. The reporting to the national Bank of Belgium is executed via the tool OneGate. However, publicly available market information and information supplied by the market organisations is also used.
The credit institutions are an important direct data source. Credit institutions established in Belgium report to the NBB on their financial position on a territorial, corporate and consolidated basis via "Scheme A", as it is called. The reporting frequency varies according to the nature of the information. The following data are supplied:
- monthly: balance sheets and off-balance-sheet items and reports on such matters as cash balances and interbank claims, interbank liabilities, lending, the deposit basis and the securities held;
- quarterly: profit and loss accounts and additional information, including a detailed statement of the securities portfolio;
- annually: the treatment of the results.
The data on non-monetary financial institutions (non-monetary institutions for collective investment, listed companies, insurance companies, pension funds, etc.) are taken mainly from the body supervising those institutions or professional associations, such as the Belgian Association for Collective Investment Institutions.
In the financial institution sector, surveys are conducted on various financial products. This primarily concerns surveys on "dematerialised securities of the Belgian government debt and dematerialised treasury bills and certificates of credit". Another survey covers "applications for mortgage loans" and "mortgage loans executed" and is conducted jointly with the Credit Industry Association.
References
The statistics on financial institutions are compiled largely in accordance with the guidelines of international institutions. This applies in particular to the monetary and banking statistics for the ECB, which have to be compiled in accordance with definitions applicable to all EMU countries. These definitions usually dovetail with other international agreements in the statistical sphere.
The principal methodological descriptions may be found in:
- ECB, Regulation of the European Central Bank of 22 November 2001 concerning the consolidated balance sheet of the monetary financial institutions sector (ECB/2001/13).
- Guideline ECB/2003/2 concerning certain statistical reporting requirements of the ECB and the procedures for reporting by NCB's of statistical information in the field of Money and Banking Statistics
- Eurostat, European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 1995), Luxemburg, June 1996, 417 pp.
- Regulation (EC) No 25/2009 of the ECB of 19 December 2008 concerning the balance sheet of the monetary financial institutions sector (Recast) (ECB/2008/32)
- Regulation (EG) No. 24/2009 of the European Central Bank of 19 December 2008 "concerning statistics on the assets and liabilities of financial vehicle corporations engaged in securitisation transactions" - (ECB/2008/30) - published on 20 January 2009 in the Official Journal of the European Union.
- Regulation Nr. 958/2007 of the European Central Bank of 27 july 2007 concerning statistics on assets and liabilities of investment funds (ECB/2007/8)
- IMF, Monetary and financial statistics manual, Washington, 2000, 157 pp.