Banks
Fed paper searches for optimal bank capital
Study weighs higher cost of equity against the reduction in costly financial crises implied by higher capital, estimating an optimal figure
BoJ builds on BIS banking statistics
Researchers break down the statistics further, shedding new light on patterns of cross-border banking
Bahamas further relaxes capital controls
Specific sectors of the economy will be able to obtain foreign exchange from banks both at home and abroad; non-resident firms to gain credit from international banks licensed in the Bahamas
Basel Committee outlines enhanced disclosure framework
Revised Pillar 3 standard adds “dashboard” of banks’ key prudential metrics and consolidates all existing Basel Committee disclosure requirements
Basel Committee to retain provisioning treatment as IFRS 9 launches
Committee admits differences across countries are likely to remain in the interim, while it works to design a new approach to the regulatory treatment of expected credit losses
IMF working paper examines the impact of “de-cashing” on monetary policy
IMF working paper examines the impact of “de-cashing” on monetary policy, claiming transmission would become “easier” and “faster”
Bank and capital market financing not created equal – BIS paper
Substituting bank loans for non-bank finance after a shock appears to have a negative impact on the economy, authors find
Bank of England launches first ‘exploratory’ stress test
BoE will assess banks’ longer-term resilience to periods of stagnation; cyclical test made tougher
Kenya’s Imperial Bank given 90-day lifeline
High court extends commercial bank’s receivership to allow shareholders and receiver to reach agreement; Kenya’s central bank takes first step toward removing licensing moratorium
Extended monetary easing in US has larger impact abroad – paper
IMF paper examines the impact of periods of prolonged monetary easing on risk-taking behaviour; leverage ratio and other measures of vulnerability increase
Book notes: Competition and Stability in Banking, by Xavier Vives
Xavier Vives has written a fascinating book that highlights many important issues in banking regulation. But there are some flaws in his argument
CEPR report ‘cautiously optimistic’ on bail-in
Thomas Philippon and Aude Salord find range of issues with European bail-in rules, but say they can probably be fixed; Cyprus bail-in “terribly” executed but still worked
London financial sector likely to ‘lose prominence’ following Brexit, says Sarb bulletin
South Africa to watch developments in London closely following Brexit vote, as domestic banks decrease exposures to the UK
Norges Bank paper offers method of stress testing with fire sales
Model recognises possibility of indirect exposures, which could affect outcome of bank stress tests
BoE research offers insights from new regulatory database
The new database, comprising banks’ regulatory submissions, allows authors to shed new light on the evolution of the UK banking sector in recent decades
Seychelles governor underscores the challenges facing SMEs
Abel says they lack funding as well as non-financial support; central bank will work with commercial sector to come up with a strategy for SME lending
Loan-to-credit ratios affected stability of smaller German banks – paper
Bundesbank researchers look at data on “critical events” from 1995 to 2013
BIS authors spot structural break in bank financing
Research identifies turning point in how banks fund themselves around 2008, with greater reliance on branches and subsidiaries
RBNZ to rethink capital requirements
Review will reassess country’s approach to Basel III implementation, after Australia decides to bolster its banks’ capital to be “unquestionably strong”
BoE paper isolates loan supply impact of credit crunch
“Rich, tailor-made data set” informs study of how pre-crisis bank lending characteristics may have impacted post-crisis credit supply
MAS director calls for firms to promote good governance
As regulations shift towards strengthening culture at firms, there is only so much central banks can do, MAS’ Ngiap says; firms must put customers before profit
Danish central bank advocates specific cyber security testing
Survey shows only 50% of financial institutions specifically test their crisis response plans against cyber attacks; cyber security needs to be backed by senior management
Bank of Namibia takes over government-owned commercial bank
Bank of Namibia removes SME Bank’s chief executive after “suspicious investments” in South Africa; all banking services will continue to operate
Bank of Jamaica proposes ‘hybrid’ resolution framework
New “hybrid framework” proposed after FSB report showed gaps in current resolution processes; parties have until April 14 to comment