KUALA LUMPUR (May 22): The international reserves of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) climbed to their highest in seven months, amounting to US$119.1 billion as at May 15, 2025.

In a statement on Thursday, BNM said the amount is enough to cover five months of imports and is 90% of the country’s short-term external debt. 

Most of this short-term debt comes from local banks and multinational companies borrowing from their foreign headquarters. 

These debts can be repaid using their own foreign assets and won’t affect BNM’s reserves.