Financial Stability
Mortgage interest tax deduction can increase market volatility – DNB paper
Making interest payments on housing loans tax-deductible can raise the debt levels of households and their chances of default, and increase housing market volatility in response to outside shocks
FSB calls for more progress on risk-free reference rates
The FSB says authorities have made progress towards reforming reference rate methodologies, but says they must continue to develop alternatives to the existing main reference rates
Beyond banking: ESRB wants wider macro-prudential toolkit
European Systemic Risk Board argues for providing policy-makers with macro-prudential instruments extending to all forms of credit; lays out specific short- and long-term actions
Tighter mortgage lending rules proposed in New Zealand
Central bank looks to crack down on investor lending with high loan-to-value ratios, while tightening the rules for most loans to owner-occupiers; new tools also on the table
EBA proposes new templates for AT1 issues
EBA releases draft templates for future issuance of Additional Tier 1 capital instruments, highlighting provisions it ‘would recommend avoiding’
Nepal Rastra Bank pushing banks to focus on rural areas – governor
Inclusion is a key part of Nepal’s five-year financial development plan, Chiranjibi Nepal says, and the central bank has plans to encourage banks to spread from urban to rural areas
Turkish central bank steps in to calm markets in wake of coup attempt
Central bank promises banks unlimited liquidity as failed coup sends shockwaves through markets; economists say banking sector is holding up so far but has some vulnerabilities
Bank of Israel opens payment protocol to smaller players
Central bank removes obstacle to new firms looking to enter payments market; also working on ‘payment systems directive’ based on European model and new access standards
Rajan sees bright future on inclusion but stresses work to be done
Outgoing governor of the Reserve Bank of India discusses different approaches open to policy-makers and some common challenges; unified payment interface effective in a ‘few weeks’
Credit, liquidity and collateral versus more intermediation
Richard Heckinger examines the costs and benefits of complex financial market infrastructure regulations, including the impact of new layers of intermediation
Payments forum moots ‘layered’ architecture in UK
New layered strategy would help improve agility of payments infrastructure, consultation suggests; trade association says changes will need to be implemented in line with regulation
EBA says European banking supervision practices are converging but some areas lag
European banking supervisors achieved considerable cross-border convergence in some areas in 2015, but other fields retain differences, EBA report says
MAS’s Menon urges careful calibration of Basel III
Managing director warns against raising capital requirements further for fear of damaging growth; says final calibration must keep SME and trade finance in mind
ECB paper explores capital-based macroprudential measures
Dampened credit and asset price growth can have a “sizable” impact on predicted crisis probabilities, authors note; they present an early warning global autoregressive model
NPLs down overall but progress is uneven – Kuwaiti report
Kuwaiti banks’ non-performing loans fell in aggregate in 2015 though they are on the rise in the household sector; banks well capitalised but asset growth slowing, financial stability report finds
CPMI digs into data on correspondent banking pull-back
Study based on Swift data and banking interviews sheds light on uneven pace of decline in correspondent banking; CPMI offers recommendations to help reverse direction of travel
Norges Bank questions contingency plans for cash distribution
Report warns Norwegian banks’ back-up plans “may prove inadequate” in a crisis; both the central bank and financial supervisory authority in communication with the finance ministry
ECB paper presents ‘news’ and ‘noise’ model of US housing market
A new model of the US property market differentiates between “news and noise shocks”; latter can have significant effects and policy-makers should consider pro-cyclical property taxes, author says
Swift brings in external firms to support security work
UK firm BAE Systems and Dutch company Fox-IT will be part of effort to strengthen cyber security; Swift says information-sharing initiative has “grown significantly” since launch
Slowdown in Brics increasingly down to domestic factors – Mminele
Sarb deputy says structural reform needed to foster global growth; sees role of domestic factors affecting Brics growth increasing since 2013
IMF staff propose additional reforms to Italian banking sector
Directors at the fund “commend” the Italian authorities for reforms so far, while staff suggest a range of additional measures to tackle issues around resolution and NPLs
Ukraine hands more regulatory powers to central bank
Ukraine’s central bank welcomes a belated vote for key financial reform; the National Bank of Ukraine will now have powers over the country's insurance sector, which observers say is in a “questionable” state
EBA says number of women in senior positions at European banks is ‘very low’
EBA says most European banks lack diversity policies for senior management despite legal requirements; senior managers are more diverse by age but not by “geographical provenance”
Banks coping with tougher environment – Omani stress tests
Central bank’s latest financial stability report says banks are well placed to weather shocks, as it builds regulatory capabilities and early warning indicators