BoE updates country groupings for international banking statistics
The Bank of England will implement new country grouping conventions for International Banking Statistics with the publication of 2025 Q4 data, starting 6 March 2026. These revisions align with updated international classifications from the Bank for International Settlements and the IMF's World Economic Outlook.
Key reclassifications for global data
The Bank of England is reclassifying several countries within its International Banking Statistics to align with updated global standards.
Seven economies previously proposed for inclusion in the Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDE) grouping will now be reclassified to Advanced Economies (AE).
These include the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Israel, South Korea, Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Conversely, eighteen territories initially slated for the AE grouping will move to EMDE.
This shift primarily affects smaller territories such as Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
The reclassification ensures that the BoE's statistical reporting reflects the latest internationally recognised classifications, enhancing comparability with data from institutions like the IMF and BIS.
A detailed country breakdown, highlighting all relevant changes, is provided in a supplementary spreadsheet accompanying this Bankstats article.
Broader adjustments and future changes
Beyond the country reclassifications, the Bank of England is also making minor alterations to the composition of new country groupings and reporting institution aggregates.
Notably, the 'European' aggregate for reporting institutions in Table C3.1 will be replaced with 'EEA' (European Economic Area) to ensure more precise geographical representation.
These comprehensive changes will be implemented retrospectively, affecting data back to September 1997, and the legacy series using the old country groups will no longer be maintained.
This impacts published tables, statistical releases, and data available on the BoE's database.
Furthermore, with Bulgaria's accession to the euro area on 1 January 2026, it will be reclassified to Advanced Economies, effective from the publication of 2026 Q1 data, scheduled for 5 June 2026 and 19 June 2026 for different statistical series.