Production of balance of payments statistics to be transferred from Bank of Finland to Statistics Finland

Today, on 26 June 2013, the Bank of Finland and Statistics Finland signed an agreement on transferring the production of balance of payments statistics from the Bank of Finland to Statistics Finland. The main responsibility for compiling balance of payments statistics and the related tasks will be taken over by Statistics Finland from the beginning of 2014. This transfer clarifies the division of responsibilities between the Bank of Finland and Statistics Finland, while also enabling a closer integration of balance of payments statistics into the national accounts framework. Concentrating statistical functions on Statistics Finland is one of the initiatives included in the Government's Effectiveness and Performance Programme.

Going forward, Statistics Finland will be responsible for collecting, processing and publishing balance of payments data. The Bank of Finland continues to collect data on monetary financial institutions, investment funds and portfolio investments for balance of payments statistics.

Users of balance of payments statistics will be separately informed of changes caused by the transfer. Reorganised balance of payments and national accounts data will be published from mid-2014 onwards, and subsequently balance of payments data will primarily be available on the webpages of Statistics Finland.

For further information, please contact:

Leena Storgårds, Director of Statistics, Statistics Finland, tel. +358 9 1734 2257

Laura Vajanne, Head of Statistics, Bank of Finland, tel. +358 10 831 2204.