by Klaas Knot

Despite strong buffers, despite supervision, banks can go bankrupt. That’s all part of a healthy, dynamic, competitive banking sector. And in fact, at the current juncture, with interest rates having gone up – while justified to keep inflation in check – the risk of accidents is increasing. As the Americans say ‘Whenever the Fed hits the brakes, someone goes through the windshield.’ The problem is of course that a bank failure may threaten financial stability. Because of contagion, because banks are interconnected, and because of the vital role banks play in the economy. So one of the lessons from the Global Financial Crisis is that we – that is central banks, supervisors and the banks themselves – should be thoroughly prepared for a failure, if one happens. So that the bank can be laid to rest in an orderly way, and essential public functions can continue. Continue reading…

The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – ESAs) have issued their Autumn 2023 Joint Committee Report on risks and vulnerabilities in the EU financial system. The Report underlines the continued high economic uncertainty. The ESAs warn national supervisors of the financial stability risks stemming from the heightened uncertainty, and call for vigilance from all financial market participants. Continue reading…

On 29 September, the Commission positively assessed the Netherlands’ modified recovery and resilience plan, which includes a REPowerEU chapter. The plan is now worth €5.4 billion in grants and covers 22 reforms and 28 investments. The REPowerEU chapter includes a new reform and the scaling up of one investment to deliver on the REPowerEU Plan’s objectives to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, in light of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. In addition to this, the Netherlands has also proposed to modify nine measures included in the original plan and to introduce one new investment. Continue reading…

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has recently published a consultation report on the financial resources and tools for central counterparty (CCP) resolution. The report presents the outcome of the FSB’s qualitative analysis of a set of financial resources and tools for resolution: (i) bail-in bonds; (ii) resolution funds; (iii) resolution-specific insurance; (iv) resolution-specific third-party contractual support; (v) resolution cash calls; (vi) statutory or contractual variation margin gains haircutting for resolution; and (vii) equity in a first-loss position. The resources and tools were assessed against the relevant considerations for financial resources set out in the FSB Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions (Key Attributes) and accompanying guidance on CCP resolution. Continue reading…

For the past eight years, Risk in Focus has sought to highlight key risk areas for internal auditors when preparing their independent risk assessment work, annual planning and audit scoping. The 2024 research report has revealed a looming poly-crisis as a series of high-impact risk events occurring simultaneously and exacerbating a multitude of interconnected risks. The report calls on boards to collaborate with internal auditors to navigate the poly-crisis by having an unwavering focus on organisational resilience and working together to respond rapidly to the myriad of immediate and fast-moving risks businesses now face. Continue reading…

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the findings of its initial data exercise on bank account access and closures. The information supplied by banks, building societies and payment companies suggests that no firm closed an account between July 2022 and June 2023 primarily because of a customer’s political views. The Payment Accounts Regulations ban banks or building societies discriminating on this basis. The FCA will be doing further work with firms to verify the data and to better understand the reasons behind, for example, the closure of accounts due to reputational risk. Continue reading…

The European Commission has re-imposed a fine of around €376.36 million on Intel for a previously established abuse of dominant position in the market for computer chips called x86 central processing units (‘CPUs’). Intel engaged in a series of anticompetitive practices aimed at excluding competitors from the relevant market in breach of EU antitrust rules. In 2009, the Commission fined Intel €1.06 billion after finding that Intel abused its dominant position in the market for x86 CPUs. The Commission decision was based on findings that Intel had engaged in two specific forms of illegal practices by: (i) giving wholly or partially hidden rebates to computer manufacturers on condition that they bought all, or almost all, their x86 CPUs from Intel (so-called ‘conditional rebates’); and (ii) paying computer manufacturers to halt or delay the launch of specific products containing competitors’ x86 CPUs and to limit the sales channels available to these products (so-called ‘naked restrictions’). Continue reading…

Francois Villeroy de Galhau

Let me start with good news about a favourite Eurofi topic: banking regulation and Basel 3. I say it as BIS Chair and former chair of GHOS: we had in Monday an important GHOS meeting in Basel, and we unanimously welcomed the decisive progress made this year in the implementation of Basel 3. By 2025, all jurisdictions – including Europe and – yes – the US – should have implemented it in a broad compliance with the standards. I know each banking industry, on both sides of the Atlantic, tends to consider that the other side has undue advantages. It’s simply not right, and our motto is now straightforward: let us now close this page, and implement the European compromise, no less and no more. No less as some banks would perhaps still dream of, and no more as some theoreticians of regulation would perhaps imagine. And we should now turn to the priority learned from the banking turmoil: “strengthening supervisory effectiveness” [*1] rather than focusing on further regulation. Let me now turn to my theme which is the policy mix to fight our main economic disease: inflation. Continue reading…

The European Central Bank (ECB) has published the results of its second economy-wide climate stress test. The results show that the best way to achieve a net-zero economy for firms, households and banks in the euro area is to accelerate the green transition to a rate that is faster than under current policies. “We need more decisive policies to ensure a speedier transition towards a net-zero economy in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Moving at the current pace will push up risks and costs for the economy and financial system. There is a clear need for speed on the road to Paris,” says ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos. Continue reading…