RMB deposits in Hong Kong rise slightly to 53.4 bln yuan

HONG KONG, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The renminbi deposits with authorized institutions in Hong Kong rose 0.8 percent in May to 53. 4 billion yuan (7.8 billion U.S. dollars), representing about 2 percent of the foreign currency deposits, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said Tuesday.

The total deposits rose 2 percent in the same month, with the HK dollar deposits rising 2.7 percent as the expansion in demand and savings deposits exceeded the contraction in time deposits.

Foreign currency deposits climbed 1.4 percent.

Seasonally-adjusted HK dollar M1, the narrowest measure of money supply in an economy, rose 9.6 percent in May and 26.8 percent from a year earlier. Unadjusted HK dollar M3, the broader measure, grew 2.5 percent in May and 8.1 percent year on year.

Hong Kong, a southern Chinese special administrative region and free trade hub, has been trying to foster the development of RMB financial market recently with a pilot scheme using yuan for cross- border trade settlement and the issuing of yuan-denominatedbonds in Hong Kong by local and foreign banks operating in the mainland.