Financial Stability
RBNZ targets Auckland with new macro-prudential plans
Central bank wants to impose stricter macro-prudential rules on lending to property investors in Auckland; will also force banks to hold more capital against those loans from October
Finma's Branson calls for Basel leverage ratio hike
The minimum Basel leverage ratio for large banks should be higher than 3%, says Finma CEO Mark Branson, noting "the world has moved on" since it was initially set
Bundesbank paper finds misbehaving banks increase volatility
Model of imperfect information shows output becomes more volatile when depositors cannot fully hold bankers to account
Alexandre Lamfalussy: 1929–2015
Those who knew him pay tribute to the former president of the European Monetary Institute and general manager of the Bank for International Settlements
Governments should work to promote ‘e-commerce’, UN report says
Research presented at the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia outlines policies governments should pursue to harness the benefits of e-commerce
Colombian paper extends Bernanke research on asset price bubbles
Paper delivered at the BIS extends Bernanke and Gertler’s result that central banks should not lean against asset bubbles, finding the conclusion still holds in a small open economy
RBA paper builds new model of banks’ credit losses
Model draws on new dataset and focuses on interactions between portfolio-level and macro variables in attempt to explain historical bank credit losses in Australia
BoJ paper finds QQE has not ‘significantly’ damaged bond market liquidity
Researchers compile set of liquidity indicators, finding that while government bond market liquidity has not declined significantly, it has been on a downward trend since easing was ramped up
Regulators to put CCP risks under microscope
CPMI-Iosco stress-testing quiz will be precursor for broader review of risk management practices
BIS research posits test for unsustainable credit growth
Authors link long-run credit growth with leverage and debt service ratio, proposing a model they claim would have helped predict the 2008 financial crisis three years before it struck
Constâncio suggests new shadow bank powers for Esma
ECB vice-president again underlines need for supervisors to take on new tools and responsibilities for tackling shadow banks, but suggests at least some may be wielded by other bodies
Hong Kong 'coin carts' rake in cash
Hong Kong Monetary Authority trucks will collect coins from the public; so far, 87,000 people have traded in 78 million coins worth HK$77 million
IMF paper finds no link between efficiency and Basel compliance
Banks in jurisdictions that have adopted Basel ‘Core Principles’ for supervision are no more efficient than their peers elsewhere, working paper finds
‘Climate of greater optimism’ prevails in Spain
Financial stability report identifies many signs the economy has turned a corner and financial markets are beginning to recover, although credit to the private sector continues to fall
Opposition from big banks to RBA interchange fee curb
Large commercial banks and payments providers warn of damaging impact of regulating interchange fees, but smaller challenger payment systems are broadly in favour
Currency shifts could create ‘dilemma’ for Asian economies
IMF regional economic outlook warns policy-makers could face an ‘uncomfortable trade-off’ between external competitiveness and financial stability
EU risks have intensified, supervisory authorities warn
Risks have worsened since mid-2014, European supervisory authorities say; report recommends including costs arising from misconduct sanctions in future stress tests
Yellen says stability risks ‘not elevated’
Fed chair tells Christine Lagarde she does not see ‘the precursors of a financial crisis’, but singles out high stock valuations as a ‘potential danger’
Lift-off for ASX Aussie dollar swap clearing business
Volumes jump in the first three months of the year following revamp of Sydney bourse's clearing incentive scheme
Legal assistance cost Bank of Portugal €2 million in 2014
Bank of Portugal reveals €2 million cost of legal assistance with its intervention in BES, an act it describes as ‘an unprecedented effort to safeguard financial stability’
RBA paper finds high social cost to counterfeiting
Researchers try to put a figure on how much counterfeit banknotes cost the economy; Australian economy suffers from lower counterfeiting than elsewhere
Bundesbank’s Dombret wants more ‘proportional’ supervisory teams
Executive board member says the joint supervisory teams in Europe should be proportionate to the size and significance of the banks they supervise
BIS paper analyses carry trades in Latin America
BIS working paper analyses currency carry trades in Latin America, the attractiveness and visibility of which have suffered in part due to regulatory changes
Argentina cabinet chief rejects analysis in IMF report
Argentina needs ‘tighter macroeconomic policies, a weaker exchange rate and less microeconomic distortion,’ argues IMF outlook; cabinet chief dismisses analysis