Press Release No. 16/440

IMF Launches New SDR Basket Including Chinese Renminbi, Determines New Currency Amounts

September 30, 2016

• Chinese renminbi (RMB) to be included in SDR basket as fifth currency starting October 1
• Ms. Lagarde says SDR basket expansion reflects the ongoing evolution of the global economy and is a significant change for the IMF

Today, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced the launch of the new Special Drawing Right (SDR) valuation basket including the Chinese renminbi (RMB), and the new currency amounts that will determine the value of the SDR during the new valuation period.

As approved by the Executive Board of the IMF on November 30, 2015, effective October 1, 2016, the RMB is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the euro, Japanese yen, and the British pound ( see Press Release No. 15/543). The Board also decided at that time that the weights of each currency would be 41.73 percent for the U.S. dollar, 30.93 percent for the Euro, 10.92 percent for the Chinese yuan, 8.33 percent for the Japanese yen, and 8.09 percent for the Pound sterling.

To mark the launch of the new SDR basket, Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF, stated: “The expansion of the SDR basket is an important and historic milestone for the SDR, the Fund, China and the international monetary system. It is a significant change for the Fund, because it is the first time since the adoption of the euro that a currency is added to the basket.

“The Renminbi’s inclusion reflects the progress made in reforming China’s monetary, foreign exchange, and financial systems, and acknowledges the advances made in liberalizing and improving the infrastructure of its financial markets. The continuation and deepening of these efforts, with appropriate safeguards, will bring about a more robust international monetary and financial system, which in turn will support the growth and stability of China and the global economy.

“This milestone also reflects the ongoing evolution of the global economy. The Fund plays an important role in this evolving process, and the inclusion of the Renminbi in the SDR basket shows once again that the Fund stands ready to adapt to change.”

In addition, the Board also decided today that effective October 1, 2016, the value of the SDR will be the sum of the values of the following amounts of each currency:

These currency amounts are calculated such that the value of the SDR in U.S. dollar terms is the same under the new basket as the value of the SDR prevailing today, and that, at the average exchange rates for the three-month period ending today (July 1 through September 30, 2016), the share of each currency in the value of the SDR corresponds to the weight approved by the IMF Executive Board on November 30, 2015.

The Board’s decision on the amount of each currency in the SDR valuation basket is the final step toward implementing the results of the latest review of the method of valuation of the SDR (see Press Release No. 15/543).

SDR interest rate

The SDR interest rate that will be determined on October 7 and applied for the week of October 10, 2016 will be the first one that reflects the new SDR valuation basket and includes a representative interest rate for the RMB. The change in the SDR interest rate relative to the previous week will reflect the changes in the composition and shares of currencies in the SDR valuation basket, as well as the changes in the interest rates on each component financial instrument.