Financial Stability
European Commission launches shadow banking onslaught
Commission looks to impose more stringent liquidity and capital requirements on money market funds; industry body hits out at 'ill-considered' proposals
Bank of Finland deputy calls on Denmark and Sweden to join the SSM
Pentti Hakkarainen says a strong Nordic dimension in the European banking union would benefit all countries involved; Sweden focused on domestic supervision for time being
Financial contagion function of reputation rather than size of banks
Bank clustering and large in-coming interbank loan more important than leverage ratios, while central bank intervention reduce contagion only slightly, Bank of Finland discussion paper finds
German banks move to lower-risk sovereign bonds
Deutsche Bundesbank discussion paper investigates banks exposures to sovereign debt and finds they are increasingly investing in bonds from larger countries with lower inflation
Danish central bank calls for better liquidity management in payments markets
National Bank of Denmark urges market participants to reserve ‘adequate liquidity’ for payments settlement; breaks down ongoing modernisation of financial market infrastructure
Carney urges G-20 leaders to cooperate
FSB releases report on global progress toward ending too-big-to-fail as its chairman, Mark Carney, stresses importance of cross-border cooperation over global financial reforms for global trade
Regulators exempt forex swaps and forwards from initial margin rules
Working Group on Margining Requirements exempt forex swaps and forwards from initial margin rule for non-centrally cleared derivatives; offer a more restricted exemption for cross-currency swaps
Sovereign default spreads drove European bank risk exposures during crisis
Systemic risk of European banks reached its height in late 2011 at around €500 billion, based on a measure introduced in a recent Fed working paper
US takes lead in ending credit rating agency ‘hard-wiring’, says FSB
China, Indonesia and South Korea have made little progress in dealing with concerns about over-reliance on credit rating agencies; US takes the lead, followed by Europe, in reducing hardwiring of ratings in the financial system, FSB report finds
ECB's Mersch calls for clearer separation of powers in bank resolution framework
European Central Bank executive board member believes current agreement in Europe on a resolution framework - 'decentralisation plus discretion' - is 'the wrong combination'
Corporate performance data central to understanding inflation dynamics
RBI's Deepak Mohanty says balance-sheet data enhances financial stability by shining light on corporate leverage ratios and unhedged foreign currency loans
Bank portfolios flush with long-term assets exposed to interest rate risk as rates rise
FDIC's Gruenberg says banks' asset quality and loan balances have improved and fewer lenders are failing, but reach for yield may pose problems as interest rates return to more normal levels
Czech governor slams one-size-fits-all regulation
CNB workshop considers impact of Basel III on emerging and smaller economies; participants consider the unintended consequences of both capital and liquidity rules
RBA payments head hails ‘hub-based’ retail payments platform
Reserve Bank of Australia’s Tony Richards delivers update on country’s new payments platform and the central bank’s work towards a faster settlement system
Adherence to Islamic financing principles could benefit credit unions
Islamic savings products would make institutions more resilient, and possibly strengthen incentives for good governance, IMF working paper argues
US needs to improve supervision of insurers, FSB peer review concludes
Dombret-led review says US is making progress in reducing systemic risk, but insurance supervision architecture is ‘fragmented'; FSB also publishes progress report on compensation practices
Sweden puts FSA in charge of financial stability
Central bank passed over as government stresses importance of democratic accountability; new financial stability board and bolstered foreign exchange reserves also announced
BIS sizes up derivatives reforms and Basel III progress
Bank for International Settlements releases one report on the expected benefits and costs of OTC derivative reforms, and another on countries’ progress in implementing Basel III
Sarb looks to rein in money market liquidity
South African Reserve Bank concerned that high levels of liquidity could threaten the monetary policy transmission mechanism; plans to drain excess cash over a number of years
Mauritius introduces polymer banknotes
The Bank of Mauritius joins an exclusive but growing group of central banks that is looking to plastic money to curtail counterfeiting
Israeli banking supervisor floats full risk weights for mortgages
Draft guidance presented to Bank of Israel advisory committee yesterday would also force banks to limit the use of variable interest rates and do away with long-term loans
Central bank insider selected to run Russia's new ‘mega-regulator'
As head of the FMS, Sergey Shvetsov, a Bank of Russia deputy, will be in charge of ‘controlling, regulating and supervising' the country's financial markets from September 1
People: StanChart's new global RMB team; RBC hires Asian equities head from JPM
Carmen Ling quits Citi to head Standard Chartered's new global renminbi-focused team; RBC hires new head of Asian equities from JP Morgan in Hong Kong; and more
LCRs in low-liquidity settings lead to big externalities
RBA research paper suggests introducing a liquidity coverage ratio in certain settings leads to large liquidity premiums and pushes the risk-free rate to the floor of the interest rate corridor