Hong Kong's official foreign currency reserve assets amounted to US$259.2 billion at the end of April, higher than the US$258.8 billion recorded at the end of March, the Monetary Authority announced today.

Including unsettled forward contracts, Hong Kong's foreign currency reserve assets also stood at US$259.2 billion.

Hong Kong is the world's seventh largest holder of foreign currency reserves after the Mainland, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, India and South Korea.

The total foreign currency reserve assets represent more than nine times the currency in circulation or about 56% of Hong Kong dollar M3.