The Central Balance Sheet Office gathers and disseminates the annual accounts of practically all legal entities in Belgium as part of the mandate given to it by the legislator. Additionally, these data are used to create statistical and financial analyses. The Central Balance Sheet Office has been gathering and disseminating the annual accounts of practically all legal organizations in Belgium since it was founded in 1978. It has consistently changed over time to adapt to the evolving technological landscape, driven by the demand for increased automation and digitalization.

A Central Bank’s Balance Sheet

The balance sheet of a central bank, which is made up of assets, liabilities, and equity, explains its financial condition. Liabilities plus equity equals assets. A central bank has a liability for the money that is in circulation, unlike a corporation. A central bank may extend its balance sheet without incurring any additional costs by issuing more money and purchasing any asset, whether or not it is a financial one. It raises assets by the same amount that it raises cash in circulation. Because the assets of everyone else are the currency in circulation (C) and reserves (R), the central bank’s balance sheet is different from those of other institutions.

Central Balance Sheet Office of Belgium

A division of the Belgian National Bank is the Central Balance Sheet Office. The balance sheet is used by the office to show the funds that the state of Belgium had allocated, borrowed, and possessed as of a particular date. Every year, Belgium’s central balance sheet office releases its balance sheet information.

Consolidated financial statements 

The royal proclamation of April 29, 2019, which defines Belgian GAAP, is followed in the preparation of consolidated financial accounts. The Central Balance Sheet Office is where the consolidated financial statements and statutory financial statements are both filed. A corporation must create consolidated financial statements if it has sole or joint control over one or more of its subsidiaries. At least one of the three national languages must be used for all publications. The Central Balance Sheet Office’s published formats must be used for consolidated financial statements that are published in accordance with Belgian GAAP.

Consolidation exemptions

Reduced-size organizations and the sub-consolidation exemption are the two exceptions to the consolidation mandate in Belgium.

Upgrade

The National Bank of Belgium (NBB), which houses the Central Balance Sheet Office, implemented modifications that will impact how annual accounts are filed as of January 2022. Everything must now be done online; paper filings are no longer an option. The online process, however, is straightforward. The upgrade became effective on April 4th, 2022. The benefits of the upgrade include:

• being informed that a document has been filed in the official e-Box
• a single form for creating and submitting yearly accounts
• a private location for customers to manage their forms

Contact information

Applications and products

helpdesk.ba@nbb.be

+32 2 221 30 01

Telephone opening hours

Monday – Wednesday – Friday: 9 a.m. to 12 noon 

Tuesday – Thursday: 9 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1.30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Official website

https://www.nbb.be/en/central-balance-sheet-office