Vatican's Net Worth Hits 4.4 Trillion Won... Avoiding Risks While Investing Well

The Vatican's net worth increased last year, driven by rising prices of gold and real estate.

The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which manages the Vatican's assets, announced on the 31st local time that its net worth stood at 2.686 billion euros (approx. 4.4 trillion won) as of last year, an increase of about 89 million euros (approx. 150 billion won) from the previous year.

Breaking down the assets, the estimated value of gold holdings rose by 40.8 million euros (approx. 67.4 billion won) due to higher gold prices.

The value of real estate also jumped by 39.2 million euros (approx. 64.7 billion won) as the prices of land and buildings owned by the Vatican worldwide increased.

While the overall operating balance remained in surplus thanks to increased real estate revenue, the size of the surplus shrank to 22.8 million euros (approx. 37.6 billion won), about one-third of the previous year's level.

The Vatican explained that this was largely due to accounting losses resulting from the adoption of new accounting standards.

Revenue from real estate management came to 44.5 million euros (approx. 73.4 billion won), up 9.4 million euros (approx. 15.5 billion won) from the previous year. APSA explained that this was the result of improved asset management efficiency, such as increased rental income and reduced maintenance costs.

The Vatican stated that it continues to maintain a risk-averse investment strategy.

Looking at the investment allocation by asset class as of last year, equities accounted for 17%, bonds for 32%, and gold for 29%, with approximately 5,500 real estate properties held.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.