Definition: Direct sale of financial assets

National accounts

The direct sale of financial assets has to be completely recorded in the financial accounts of general government and of the involved enterprise: it is a withdrawal of shares or other equity (F.5) from the enterprise which was, partially or totally, owned by government, with a counterpart entry as an increasing of a financial asset (most of the time, liquid assets, F.2).  This has no impact on the net lending/net borrowing of general government.