Hambrox Ltd
16 Feb 2026
The entire amount of US Treasuries listed under a particular country’s holdings does not entirely belong to the government of that country or its citizens.
The entire amount of US Treasuries listed under a particular country’s holdings does not entirely belong to the government of that country or its citizens. The data reflects all US debt held in accounts located in that country based on custody rather than legal ownership. This practice results is a distorted perception of certain countries’ financial strenght.
Location-Based Data: The US Treasury records holdings based on where the securities are held, i.e. custodial data, not the nationality of the owner.
International Clients: Significant portions of these holdings belong to foreign corporations, sovereign wealth funds, and private investors who use a particular country’s financial institutions for various reasons.
Ownership: The overall amount is a mix of official goverment investment and private holdings.
Market Function: Certain countries’ role as major financial centres means that they act as conduit for global capital, attracting international clients to store assets such as US Treasuries in custody in those jurisdictions.
