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ECCB ANNUAL REPORT 2016/2017
EASTERN CARIBBEAN CENTRAL BANK
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(expressed in Eastern Caribbean dollars)
March 31, 2017
Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
Notes to the Financial Statements
March 31, 2017
(expressed in Eastern Caribbean dollars)
3. Financial risk management
…
continued
e) Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Bank is unable to provide adequate liquidity support for the
financial system to meet its payment obligations associated with its financial liabilities when they
fall due and to replace funds when they are withdrawn. It also refers to the risk of financial loss
associated with the conversion of assets to cash to meet financial obligations. This would result in
the Bank’s failure to maintain monetary and financial stability.
The Bank is exposed to daily calls
on its available cash resources from overnight deposits, current accounts and maturing deposits.
Liquidity is
a key criterion in determining the composition of the Bank’s foreign reserves portfolio.
The liquidity tranche is closely monitored in accordance with a cash flow management policy.
Additionally, there is consistent monitoring and checking for compliance with approved portfolio
diversification, asset allocation and asset quality.
The liquidity management process forms part of the Bank’s wider mandate for reserve management
and is carried out in accordance with approved guidelines by the Reserve Management Committee
and monitored by management. The liquidity tranche is comprised of highly marketable assets that
can easily be liquidated to meet unexpected demands. The process entails the following:
Daily monitoring of balances on the Bank’s call accounts to ensure that adequate funds are
available to meet current and future requirements.
Projections of cash inflows and outflows based on historical trends.
Laddering of money market instruments in the liquidity tranche to ensure that adequate
funds are available to meet current liquidity needs.
Assets held to manage liquidity risk include balances with other central banks, balances with
foreign banks, money market instruments and money at call, financial assets held for trading,
available-for-sale - foreign investment securities, balances with local banks and due from
local banks. At the reporting date, the Bank held $4,590,782,588 (2016: $4,608,119,600) of
these instruments that are expected to readily generate cash inflows.
The maturities of assets and liabilities and the ability to replace, at an acceptable cost, interest-
bearing liabilities as they mature, are important factors in assessing the liquidity of the Bank and its
exposure to changes in interest rates and exchange rates.
The table below analyses assets and liabilities of the Bank into relevant maturity groupings based
on the remaining period at the reporting date to the contractual maturity date. The resulting
liquidity gap does not pose any significant risk to the Bank. Based on the nature of the financial
liabilities which principally comprise of bankers current accounts (note 16) and is categorized in
the up to 1-month grouping, payouts to commercial banks in the short term are unlikely as these
commercial banks are required to maintain with the Bank a reserve equivalent to 6% of their total
deposit liabilities.