The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has on 3 October issued its progress update on the adoption of the Basel Framework. The update summary and monitoring dashboard set out the jurisdictional adoption status of the Basel III standards as of end-September 2023. They cover the Basel III post-crisis reforms published by the Committee in December 2017 and the finalised minimum capital requirements for market risk of January 2019. The implementation date for these reforms was 1 January 2023, as announced by the Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision (GHOS) in March 2020. Continue reading…

As financial firms maneuver the continued fallout of recent bank failures, analytics and AI leader SAS is expanding its partnership with Microsoft to help banks better manage looming liquidity and interest rate risks. SAS® Asset and Liability Management (ALM), powered by Kamakura Risk Manager on Microsoft Azure, supports multi-period, scenario-based, integrated simulation and valuation for risk management, capital allocation and balance sheet optimization. Continue reading…

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…