The Bank of England has published its quarterly statistics on the consolidated worldwide claims of UK-owned banks for 2026 Q1, providing a picture of the international exposure of the British banking system.
The data show that UK banks' consolidated claims on borrowers outside the UK totalled approximately £3.2 trillion, with the largest exposures to the United States, the European Union and Japan. Claims on emerging market economies were approximately £400 billion, with the largest exposures to China, India and the Gulf states.
The statistics are an important input into the Bank's assessment of the resilience of the UK banking system to shocks originating outside the UK. The Bank monitors the geographical and sectoral distribution of banks' exposures for signs of concentration that could create vulnerabilities. The data for 2026 Q1 do not show any significant changes in the pattern of exposure, but the Bank said it would continue to monitor the data given the uncertain global economic environment.
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