Base Page Information

Base Page Information
Country		EGYPT
Data category		International Reserves and Reserve Template

Contact person		Mr. Hamed Aboul Magd
Organization		Central Bank of Egypt Foreign Dept.
Phone Number		(202) 3934993 - 3936234
Fax Number		(202) 3934993 - 3936234
E-mail		foreign_relation@cbe.org.eg

Dissemination formats:
Hardcopy			News release
			Weekly	Monthly	X	quarterly bulletin
			Other

Electronic	X		On-line country bulletin board or database
			Diskette	CD ROM		Other
Summary Methodology Access to Egypt’s Statistics

The Data: Coverage, Periodicity, and Timeliness

Coverage characteristics

Data are disseminated on gross international reserves and the reserve template.

Data cover foreign exchange assets, SDRs, reserve position in the IMF, and gold. They represent end-of-month levels expressed in millions of US$.

These data are established in accordance with the Operational Guidelines, and cover both international reserves and the reserve template. The data are collected, compiled and published by CBE.

Periodicity

- Monthly data for gross international reserves.
- Monthly data for the reserve template.

Timeliness

- 7 calendar days for the gross international reserves.
-30 calendar days for the reserve template.

Access by the Public

Advance dissemination of
release calendar

- The release calendar for the international reserves and the reserve template, giving precise release dates one year in advance, is found on the website of the Central Bank of Egypt: http://www.cbe.org.eg.

- A notice informing the public of the availability of these calendars on the Internet is published in the CBE’s monthly Statistical Bulletin.

Simultaneous release to all
interested parties

Data are initially released to the public via the CBE’s website: (http://www.cbe.org.eg). A notice to this effect is published in the CBE's monthly Statistical Bulletin. These data are also disseminated in the said Bulletin, the quarterly Economic Review, and the Annual Report. These documents are available freely by the CBE, either by subscription or distribution.

Integrity

Dissemination of terms and
conditions under which
official statistics are
produced, including ...
confidentiality of individual
responses

The data are collected by the CBE in accordance with the Central Bank and Banking System Law (No. 88, 2003) issued in June 2003 and includes a section that provides confidentiality to both banks and their clients.

The Central Bank and Banking System Law (No. 88, 2003) is available in Arabic, and a copy can be downloaded from the CBE website at: (http://www.cbe.org.eg)

Data are published by the CBE as a public service.

Identification of internal
government access to data
before release

There is no internal government access to data prior to release.

Identification of ministerial
commentary on the occasion of
statistical releases

There is no ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases.

Provision of information
about revision and advance
notice of major changes in
methodology

The statistics published are provisional. They become definitive and final one month after initial release.

Any major change in methodology is announced in the methodological note in the monthly Statistical Bulletin of the Central Bank of Egypt.

Quality

Dissemination of
documentation on methodology
and sources used in preparing
statistics

The compilation methodology and sources used in conducting the statistics are currently under preparation, and will be published in the quarterly Economic Review, and the monthly Statistical Bulletin.

Dissemination of ... that
support statistical cross-
checks and provide assurance
of reasonableness

Data on international reserves are published in the CBE monthly Statistical Bulletin, and the quarterly Economic Review, and the Annual Report.

Summary Methodology Page
Data category		International Reserves
National descriptor		CBE - Foreign Relations Department

Contact person		Mr. Hamed Aboul Magd
Organization		Central Bank of Egypt – Foreign Dept.
Phone Number		(202) 3934993 - 3936234
Fax Number		(202) 3934993 - 3936234
E-mail		foreign_relation@cbe.org.eg

I.	Analytical framework, concepts, definitions, and classifications (including reference to applicable guidelines)
	International reserves data and reserve template are compiled according to the Fifth Edition of the IMF’s Balance of Payments Manual, and in accordance with the Operational Guidelines of the international reserves and reserve template, and cover both international reserves and reserve template.
II.	Scope of the data (coverage of, e.g., institutional units, transactions and stock, commodities, industries, and geographic areas).
	Data are presented according to the Fifth Edition of the IMF’s Balance of Payments Manual, and the Operational Guidelines of the international reserves and reserve template, and are classified into: official reserve assets and other foreign currency assets (a. official reserve assets & b. other foreign currency assets); predetermined short-term net drains on foreign currency assets (nominal value), and contingent short-term net drains on foreign assets (nominal value).
III.	Accounting conventions (e.g. time of recording, valuation methods).
	Recording is made on the same day and in the same currency of the transaction. Monthly data are prepared according to end-of-month exchange rates.
IV.	Nature of the basic data (e.g., administrative records, surveys censuses, combinations of these).
	Administrative records.
V.	Compilation practices (e.g., weighting schemes, imputation methods, balancing/cross-checking techniques)
	Imputation is on cash basis concerning the transaction during the fiscal year, while the accrual basis is applied at the end of the fiscal year.
VI.	Other aspects (e.g., seasonal adjustment, disclosure avoidance, base years, reference years, transformations from fiscal to calendar years)
	Revaluation of gold is conducted at the end of the fiscal year (end of June), using the world price of gold. Both fiscal and calendar years are available.

The Data: Coverage, Periodicity, and Timeliness
Coverage characteristics	Data are disseminated on gross international reserves and the reserve template. Data cover foreign exchange assets, SDRs, reserve position in the IMF, and gold. They represent end-of-month levels expressed in millions of US$. These data are established in accordance with the Operational Guidelines, and cover both international reserves and the reserve template. The data are collected, compiled and published by CBE.
Periodicity	- Monthly data for gross international reserves. - Monthly data for the reserve template.
Timeliness	- 7 calendar days for the gross international reserves. -30 calendar days for the reserve template.
Access by the Public
Advance dissemination of release calendar	- The release calendar for the international reserves and the reserve template, giving precise release dates one year in advance, is found on the website of the Central Bank of Egypt: http://www.cbe.org.eg. - A notice informing the public of the availability of these calendars on the Internet is published in the CBE’s monthly Statistical Bulletin.
Simultaneous release to all interested parties	Data are initially released to the public via the CBE’s website: (http://www.cbe.org.eg). A notice to this effect is published in the CBE's monthly Statistical Bulletin. These data are also disseminated in the said Bulletin, the quarterly Economic Review, and the Annual Report. These documents are available freely by the CBE, either by subscription or distribution.
Integrity
Dissemination of terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced, including ... confidentiality of individual responses	The data are collected by the CBE in accordance with *the Central Bank and Banking System Law (No. 88, 2003)* issued in June 2003 and includes a section that provides confidentiality to both banks and their clients. *The Central Bank and Banking System Law (No. 88, 2003)* is available in Arabic, and a copy can be downloaded from the CBE website at: (http://www.cbe.org.eg) Data are published by the CBE as a public service.
Identification of internal government access to data before release	There is no internal government access to data prior to release.
Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases	There is no ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases.
Provision of information about revision and advance notice of major changes in methodology	The statistics published are provisional. They become definitive and final one month after initial release. Any major change in methodology is announced in the methodological note in the monthly Statistical Bulletin of the Central Bank of Egypt.
Quality
Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics	The compilation methodology and sources used in conducting the statistics are currently under preparation, and will be published in the quarterly Economic Review, and the monthly Statistical Bulletin.
Dissemination of ... that support statistical cross- checks and provide assurance of reasonableness	Data on international reserves are published in the CBE monthly Statistical Bulletin, and the quarterly Economic Review, and the Annual Report.