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What is an interest-bearing account in Foreign Military Sales?

Updated 26 September 2026Checked against the SAMM: 26 September 2026

A purchaser, if authorized, may pay its and quarterly bills into a separate interest-bearing account instead of straight into the ; funds are then withdrawn from it for transfer into the . The account is held either at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or at a commercial bank, under agreements that include , and neither kind normally holds Foreign Military Financing funds.

What is an interest-bearing account in Foreign Military Sales?

In response to the and quarterly billing requirements, an international partner may also make payments (if authorized) to a separate interest-bearing account (IBA). is authorized to then withdraw funds from the IBA for transfer into the . The IBA may be either a Federal Reserve Bank () account or Commercial Banking Account (CBA) as described below.

Some countries (if approved) may establish an account with the of New York (FRBNY) for their deposits. An agreement between the purchaser’s defense organization, the international partner’s central bank, FRBNY, and identifies the terms, conditions, and mechanics of the account’s operation. Except as authorized by law and/or policy, accounts do not include program funds.

Some international partners may establish an account with a commercial bank for deposits. Commercial banking accounts do not include program funds. Two agreements are required:

1. An agreement between the international partner and the participating U.S. commercial bank

2. An agreement between the international partner and

These accounts operate in a very similar fashion to the New York interest-bearing accounts.

References

Drawn exclusively from publicly available authorities.

SAMM

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