Irish lenders’ borrowings from the Central Bank fell in March, according to new figures published today.

According to the latest data, Irish-based lenders’ reliance on European Central Bank funding fell to €85.1 billion on March 30th, down from €87.1 billion on February 24th.

The Central Bank’s “other assets”, which includes exceptional liquidity lending for banks, was down slightly at just under €45 billion at the end of last month, compared with €45.2 billion in February.

A senior European Central Bank member this week warned that Irish institutions must “substantially” reduce their reliance on central bank funds to restore the financial system to health.