The U.S. dollar was the most common currency in foreign exchange reserves in 2025, comprising more than three times the amount of the euro in global reserves that year. This total peaked in 2015, partly due to the strength of the dollar during the Eurozone crisis. The share of the U.S. dollar has lost since to the Japanese yen and euro, as well as other currencies. Why do foreign exchange reserves matter? When countries with different currencies export goods, they must agree on a currency for payment. As a result, countries hold currency reserves worth trillions of U.S. dollars. After World War II, the U.S. dollar itself became the international currency in the Bretton Woods Agreement and is thus the most common currency for international payments. The United States Treasury is also seen by most as risk-free, giving the country a low-risk premium. For this reason, countries hold U.S. dollars in reserve because the currency holds value relatively well eventually. China and currency reserves Since 2016, the International Monetary Fund has included the Chinese renminbi (yuan) as part of the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket. This decision recognized the influence of the renminbi as a reserve currency, particularly in several Asian countries. China also holds significant foreign exchange reserves itself, funded by its large positive trade balance.

The euro and U.S. dollar made up more than ***** of 10 SWIFT payments worldwide in August 2025, outperforming many other currencies. This is according to a monthly report meant to track the market share of China's yuan renminbi within the international bank transfer system SWIFT. Although China holds the largest forex reserves in the world, the yuan ranked as the ******-used currency in international payments. The figures concern customer-initiated and institutional payments and exclude trade. Discussions on the potential weakening role of the U.S. dollar especially touch world trade and forex. For example, the share of the USD in forex reserves declined visibly against the euro and Japanese yen in 2024. What sparked this de-dollarization trend, and will it continue? Trade sanctions and de-dollarization De-dollarization in 2024 is mentioned mostly alongside trade and the BRICS countries - an informal name given to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The combined GDP of BRICS is about ** percent of the world's economy. After the start of the Ukraine war and Russia received economic sanctions, the BRICS slowly evolved into a trading bloc. The group increasingly wanted its own currency to settle payments within the trade bloc, to avoid using the U.S. dollar. In August 2024, BRICS gathered in South Africa to discuss the creation of such a new joint currency. Additionally, ** countries - including Argentina, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Yemen - expressed interest in joining the BRICS group. CBDC, or projects into a digital payment settlement A factor of future uncertainty for the U.S. dollar is how central bank digital currencies (CBDC) develop in emerging countries. Several projects exist between individual countries that specifically target cross-border interbank payments. A cooperation between Thailand and Hong Kong, Inthanon-Lionrock, ranks as the most advanced of these projects. CBDC does not require the U.S. dollar to function. Tangible such as commodities or gold can back them. The value of transactions processed with CBDC is to grow by ******* percent between 2024 and 2030.

Of all the countries in the world, China had, by far, the largest international reserves in July 2025, with **** trillion USD in reserves and foreign currency liquidity. Japan was the only other country with over a trillion U.S. dollars in reserves in early 2025, with a total of *** trillion U.S. dollars. Why do countries hold reserves? A simple explanation for China’s accumulation of foreign currency could be its consistently positive and substantial trade balance. When China exports goods and services, it accepts the foreign currency, usually U.S. dollars, and holds that currency in reserve. In addition to facilitating trade, most countries, including China, also hold foreign exchange reserves to ensure the stability of their currencies and facilitate other foreign transactions. Other significant reserves Even though most of the world left the gold standard in 1971, most countries still retain large gold reserves. The United States, followed by Germany and Italy, held the largest amount of gold reserves worldwide as of December 2018.

Foreign Exchange Reserves in China increased to 3339000 USD Million in September from 3322000 USD Million in August of 2025. This dataset provides - China Foreign Exchange Reserves - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about China Foreign Exchange Reserves

• China Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 3,227.2 USD bn in Feb 2025, compared with 3,209.0 USD bn in the previous month
• China Foreign Exchange Reserves: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1989 to Feb 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 3,993.2 USD bn in Jun 2014 and a record low of 3.7 USD bn in Jan 1989

The People's Bank of China provides monthly Foreign Exchange Reserves in USD.


Further information about China Foreign Exchange Reserves

• In the latest reports, China Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 13.9 Months of Import in Dec 2024.
• Its Money Supply M2 increased 44,045.8 USD bn YoY in Sep 2024.
• China Domestic Credit reached 49,338.1 USD bn in Jan 2025, representing an increased of 7.9 % YoY.
• The country's Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.5 % in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 1.6 % in the previous quarter.
• Household Debt of China reached 63.3 % in Mar 2023, accounting for 63.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP.

Foreign Exchange Reserves in Russia increased to 689458 USD Million in August from 681489 USD Million in July of 2025. This dataset provides - Russia Foreign Exchange Reserves - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Rest of the World; Currency; Asset, Level (ROWCURQ027S) from Q4 1945 to Q2 2025 about IMA, currency, and assets.

The amount of international reserves in U.S. dollars held by Argentina's Central Bank decreased from 44.84 billion U.S. dollars as of January 2, 2020, to roughly 39.12 billion U.S. dollars on September 22, 2025. This represents a decrease of nearly 12.8 percent in value during this time.

Foreign Exchange Reserves in Argentina decreased to 32327 USD Million in July from 33474 USD Million in June of 2025. This dataset provides - Argentina Foreign Exchange Reserves - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves

• Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 36.7 USD bn in Jan 2025, compared with 35.2 USD bn in the previous month
• Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1957 to Jan 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 114.6 USD bn in Sep 1992 and a record low of 1.3 USD bn in Apr 1959

CEIC converts monthly Foreign Exchange Reserves into USD. Deutsche Bundesbank provides Foreign Exchange Reserves in EUR. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Germany joined the Euro Area on January 1st, 1999 with fixed conversion rate of 1 EUR = 1.95583 DEM. Foreign Exchange Reserves prior to December 1998 is sourced from the International Monetary Fund.


Further information about Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves

• In the latest reports, Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 0.3 Months of Import in Dec 2024.
• Its Money Supply M2 increased 4,046.9 USD bn YoY in Dec 2024.
• Germany Domestic Credit reached 6,397.0 USD bn in Nov 2024, representing an drop of 2.2 % YoY.
• The country's Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.2 % in Dec 2022, compared with the ratio of 1.1 % in the previous year.
• Household Debt of Germany reached 50.3 % in Sep 2024, accounting for 50.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP.

Graph and download economic data for Total Reserves excluding Gold for United States (TRESEGUSM052N) from Dec 1950 to Jun 2025 about gold, reserves, and USA.

Foreign Exchange Reserves in Egypt increased to 49534 USD Million in September from 49251 USD Million in August of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Egypt Foreign Exchange Reserves - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

As of June 6, 2025, Russia had ***** billion U.S. dollars in international reserves. To compare, at the beginning of 2022, prior to the war in Ukraine, the value of foreign exchange reserves in the country was measured at ***** billion U.S. dollars.

Key information about Australia Foreign Exchange Reserves

• Australia Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 41.9 USD bn in Feb 2025, compared with 40.9 USD bn in the previous month
• Australia Foreign Exchange Reserves: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jul 1969 to Feb 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 67.7 USD bn in May 2007 and a record low of 736.8 USD mn in Dec 1969

CEIC converts monthly Foreign Exchange Reserves into USD. The Reserve Bank of Australia provides Foreign Exchange Reserves in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Foreign Exchange Reserves prior to January 2015 is based on the old Bank's methodology before the adjustment according to the International Monetary Fund's International Reserves and Foreign Liquidity (IRFCL) framework.


Further information about Australia Foreign Exchange Reserves

• In the latest reports, Australia Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 1.5 Months of Import in May 2023.
• Its Money Supply M2 increased 1,955.4 USD bn YoY in Jan 2025.
• Australia Domestic Credit reached 3,557.7 USD bn in Dec 2024, representing an drop of 0.2 % YoY.
• The country's Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.1 % in Sep 2024, compared with the ratio of 1.1 % in the previous quarter.
• Household Debt of Australia reached 116.6 % in Mar 2023, accounting for 116.6 % of the country's Nominal GDP.

As of March 2025, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) topped the list of the world’s largest central banks by international reserve assets, reporting holdings valued at **** trillion U.S. dollars. This highlights China’s substantial economic influence and its pivotal role in global finance. The Bank of Japan followed in second place with approximately **** trillion U.S. dollars in reserve assets. The Swiss National Bank ranked third, holding ***** billion U.S. dollars in reserves, and was one of only two European central banks to appear in the top 10.

Foreign Exchange Reserves in Bangladesh increased to 31166.20 USD Million in August from 29799.80 USD Million in July of 2025. This dataset provides - Bangladesh Foreign Exchange Reserves - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In May 2025, ***** percent of global yuan transactions had been cleared in Hong Kong. The proximity of the city to mainland China made it predestined to be the largest market for yuan in the world. Since many Chinese and international investors funneled their investors through Hong Kong, the demand for yuan was very high. International transactions The most common international transactions is the transfer of money. In total, the value of global payment revenues reached almost two trillion U.S. dollars. To complete a transaction, both parties have to agree on a currency, which is in most cases the U.S. dollar, making the U.S. currency somewhat of a global currency. This position as a global currency has many political and strategic advantages. Internationalization of the yuan The Chinese government strives to challenge the U.S. dollar’s role in global trade. Since all countries who want to trade internationally need to buy U.S. dollars, nations are very dependent on the United States to maintain a steady reserve of U.S. dollars. China’s foreign currency reserves amounted to over three trillion U.S. dollars. To enhance its independence and ability to project its financial assets, China wants to increase the role of the yuan in global trade. One way to achieve this goal is to establish clearinghouses abroad. For instance, London has become the largest market for yuan outside the Greater China region.

Foreign Exchange Reserves in Israel increased to 231880 USD Million in September from 230320 USD Million in August of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Israel Foreign Exchange Reserves - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Nominal Broad U.S. Dollar Index (DTWEXBGS) from 2006-01-02 to 2025-10-03 about trade-weighted, broad, exchange rate, currency, goods, services, rate, indexes, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Currency in Circulation (CURRCIR) from Aug 1917 to Sep 2025 about currency and USA.