ABU DHABI  - Interbank rates in the United Arab Emirates have edged down in the last three months because of good liquidity in the money market, central bank chief Mubarak Rashed al-Mansoori said on Wednesday.

He told reporters on the sidelines of a fintech conference that UAE banks were attracting money from overseas, while government deposits in banks had increased.

The overnight Emirates interbank offered rate has slipped about 5 basis points since mid-October, although longer-term rates have continued to trend up because of the outlook for further increases in U.S. rates.

(Reporting by Stanley Carvalho; Writing by Andrew Torchia) ((andrew.torchia@thomsonreuters.com; +9715 6681 7277; Reuters Messaging: andrew.torchia.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))