HELSINKI: The Statistics Finland’s data shows that the stock of central government guarantees stood at euro 41.1 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2015. The stock of guarantees was 20 per cent higher than one year before and six per cent higher than at the end of the previous quarter.
New central government guarantees were granted to the amount of euro 1.6 billion in the first quarter of the year. The value of new guarantees granted was euro 0.5 billion lower than one year before and euro 2.9 billion lower than in the previous quarter. Of new guarantees, nearly euro 1.4 billion were granted to Finland and good euro 0.2 billion to the rest of the world.
Central government guarantees include all guarantees granted by the state, government-owned enterprises, government-owned limited companies and special credit institutions for which the state is ultimately liable. At the end of the first quarter of 2015, a total of 36 per cent of the stock of central government guarantees consisted of guarantees to enterprises excluding housing corporations.
Guarantees granted to housing companies account for 24 per cent and those to the rest of the world for 17 per cent of the guarantee stock. The remaining 23 per cent of the stock of central government guarantees divides between households, financial and insurance corporations, and general government, the statistics show.