Banks
Sarb fines five banks for weaknesses in ‘control measures’
Investec Bank fined largest amount at 20 million rand; local branch of Standard Chartered faces 10 million rand penalty a month after another branch was reprimanded by MAS
Philippines central bank fines RCBC over Bangladesh heist
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation ordered to pay one billion pesos, after stolen funds from Bangladesh bank were transferred to four accounts held at the institution
Colombian central bank should examine transmission in greater detail – paper
Colombian banks with higher levels of solvency “less sensitive” to changes in policy rate authors say; central bank should go into “greater detail” when examining policy transmission
Kenyan governor outlines three pillars for ‘new normal’ in banking
2016 to be a year of “transition” for banking in Kenya, says Patrick Njoroge; calls for greater transparency, stronger governance and new models
Flug points to risks as banking competition work proceeds
Government approves banking competition bill and central bank moves ahead with payments competition work, though Karnit Flug says new risks stemming from the reforms must be dealt with
Bank of Mauritius constantly ‘beefing up’ regulatory capacity, says governor
Post-financial crisis ‘awakening’ posed challenges for authorities, says Roi; updating regulatory and supervisory capacity is ‘never-ending’
Report sees progress following UK market review but job ‘far from done’
Implementation report notes good progress, suggests responsibility must now fall to market participants; authors note ‘Brexit’ may delay some reforms
Exposure to sovereign risk may limit banks’ ability to attract deposits – IMF paper
Research shows non-linear relationship between exposure to sovereign risk and deposit outflows; exposure negatively affected growth of consumer deposits 2006-2011
Bank of Russia centre records over 20 ‘major’ attacks on payment systems
Attackers attempted to steal 2.87 billion rubles from Russian bank payment systems, cyber-security report reveals; central bank seeks to amend legislation to allow the suspension of suspicious transactions
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
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
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
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
Constâncio calls for ‘deep reflection’ on public support for banks
ECB vice-president Vítor Constâncio suggests European Union should consider relaxing its rules on state aid to banks; cites IMF concerns and example of US bail-out
EBA survey: Most European banks did not see Brexit as risk
European banks anticipated increasing most kinds of loan activity, results of an EBA questionnaire show; few bankers saw ‘Brexit’ as a major source of risk
Sarb faces tough job amid ‘sobering’ outlook, IMF warns
Capital flows, sovereign rating and financial sector health form dangerous links, fund says, though South African authorities stress they have made preparations
European banks suffer as regulators ban Monte dei Paschi short-selling
Banks hit by further shockwaves from UK’s vote to leave EU, while European authorities scramble to shore up crumbling Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena
Nigerian regulator overhauls management of major local bank
Nigeria’s central bank enforced a change of management in a domestically systemically important bank due to liquidity and capital adequacy concerns; finance veterans appointed to top roles
Bank of England cuts CCB to 0% to support credit supply
In wake of Brexit uncertainty, concerns over supply of credit ‘taken off the table’ says Carney; new buffer rate to give confidence to UK economy that banks can lend in ‘challenging times’
EU exit vote throws up financial stability risks
UK plunged into uncertainty and markets hit hard, with bank stocks some of the worst affected, but more serious problems seem to have been avoided for now
Rajan says India should not change course, as he steps back from RBI
Governor announces his intention to return to academia after three eventful years at the helm of India's central bank, and urges policy-makers to stay strict on inflation
Basel Committee approves G-Sib frameworks
All five jurisdictions home to globally systemic banks have established frameworks in line with the Basel accord, first cross-jurisdictional study finds