BALANCE OF PAYMENTS (Q2 2026)

For the second quarter of 2026, the overall balance of payments registered a current account surplus of US$58.49 billion, a net asset increase of US$53.79 billion on the financial account, and an increase of US$0.79 billion in the Bank's reserve assets.

I. Current Account

The current account surplus increased by US$21.29 billion over the same quarter of the previous year.

1.The goods trade surplus widened by US$15.50 billion year on year to US$52.76 billion. This was mainly due to an expansion in exports as demand for emerging technology applications remained strong.

2.The services account deficit narrowed by US$1.90 billion year on year to US$2.53 billion, mainly accounted for by a decrease in construction expenditures and an increase in receipts from computer and information services.

3.Primary income surplus rose by US$3.33 billion year on year to US$9.71 billion, mainly because of an increase in residents' income from outward direct investment.

4.The secondary income deficit shrank by US$0.56 billion year on year to US$1.44 billion, mainly reflecting an increase in receipts from gifts and samples.

II. Financial Account

1.The direct investment account recorded a net asset increase of US$8.47 billion. Of the components, outward direct investment by residents and inward direct investment by nonresidents recorded net increases of US$11.04 billion and US$2.57 billion, respectively.

2.The portfolio investment account recorded a net asset increase of US$4.81 billion. Of the components, residents' portfolio investment abroad posted a net increase of US$6.71 billion mainly because the banking sector raised their holdings of overseas debt securities. Nonresidents' portfolio investment recorded a net increase of US$1.90 billion, mainly reflecting an increase in nonresident holdings of corporate bonds issued overseas by Taiwanese firms.

3.The financial derivatives account posted a net asset decrease of US$8.83 billion, mainly owing to a decrease in assets that reflected gains from the disposal of derivative financial instruments by other financial corporations.

4.The account of other investment recorded a net asset increase of US$49.35 billion, mainly because of an increase in trade credit extended by the other private sector.

III. Overview of BOP (Q1 – Q2, 2026)

For the first two quarters of 2026, the overall balance of payments posted a current account surplus of US$121.03 billion, a net asset increase of US$118.12 billion on the financial account, and a decrease of US$3.87 billion in the Bank's reserve assets.

Notes: 1. The next release of balance of payments data will be at 16:20 on November 20, 2026.

            2. For the release schedule for the coming months, please refer to the Advance Release Calendar on the Bank's website.