Banks
Bank of Zambia begins liquidating three financial institutions
Commercial Leasing Zambia, Cetzam Financial Services and Genesis Finance to close with immediate effect; those affected have 30 days to file objection to the courts
Capping interest rates could affect credit, says Kenyan president
Kenyan President approves new banking law despite acknowledging future “difficulties”; government to monitor possible emergence of “unregulated” and “informal” lending mechanisms
IMF working paper encourages Italian banks to clean up balance sheets
Italian banks are likely to become more profitable as economy recovers, authors say, though their capacity to lend is linked to capital buffers
Nepal Rastra Bank broadens electronic payments oversight
Banks and financial institutions will have to re-register with the bank under new licensing law; central bank hopes reform will support more non-banking institutions and new payment transactions
RBI’s Mundra says banks must evolve or face extinction
Deputy describes “dismal future” for banks, saying they must embrace a socially responsible approach if they are to avoid the threat posed by fintech firms and other non-banks
Korea needs right kind of banking competition – quarterly bulletin
Competition can harm welfare if it is focused on gaining market share through a price war, authors say; Korean system may benefit from greater diversity
Malaysia’s Ibrahim proposes audit enhancements
Bank Negara Malaysia governor says audit faces new challenges and should cover broader risks, while expanding its scope to include “strategic auditing”
Danish research examines how central banks can impact market liquidity
Price of liquidity tends to change on days when central bank is operating in markets, with aggregate liquidity and payments activity also important, PhD thesis finds
Swift CEO gives network top marks despite Bangladesh Bank theft
‘No room’ for complacency says Leibbrandt, noting it is now up to the banks to upscale their security infrastructure
UK watchdog looks to new technology to ‘transform’ bank competition
Use of “open APIs” can enable easy data-sharing, which regulator hopes will give consumers clarity on bank charges and boost competition – though some see flaws in the plan
BoJ board split ahead of ‘comprehensive assessment’
Opinions from last meeting show members divided on how to hit 2% by fiscal 2017, and if it is even possible; “comprehensive assessment” may include measures to support squeezed banks
Sarb fines five banks for weaknesses in ‘control measures’
Investec Bank fined largest amount at 20 million rand; local branch of Standard Chartered faces 10 million rand penalty a month after another branch was reprimanded by MAS
Philippines central bank fines RCBC over Bangladesh heist
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation ordered to pay one billion pesos, after stolen funds from Bangladesh bank were transferred to four accounts held at the institution
Colombian central bank should examine transmission in greater detail – paper
Colombian banks with higher levels of solvency “less sensitive” to changes in policy rate authors say; central bank should go into “greater detail” when examining policy transmission
Kenyan governor outlines three pillars for ‘new normal’ in banking
2016 to be a year of “transition” for banking in Kenya, says Patrick Njoroge; calls for greater transparency, stronger governance and new models
Flug points to risks as banking competition work proceeds
Government approves banking competition bill and central bank moves ahead with payments competition work, though Karnit Flug says new risks stemming from the reforms must be dealt with
Bank of Mauritius constantly ‘beefing up’ regulatory capacity, says governor
Post-financial crisis ‘awakening’ posed challenges for authorities, says Roi; updating regulatory and supervisory capacity is ‘never-ending’
Report sees progress following UK market review but job ‘far from done’
Implementation report notes good progress, suggests responsibility must now fall to market participants; authors note ‘Brexit’ may delay some reforms
Exposure to sovereign risk may limit banks’ ability to attract deposits – IMF paper
Research shows non-linear relationship between exposure to sovereign risk and deposit outflows; exposure negatively affected growth of consumer deposits 2006-2011
Bank of Russia centre records over 20 ‘major’ attacks on payment systems
Attackers attempted to steal 2.87 billion rubles from Russian bank payment systems, cyber-security report reveals; central bank seeks to amend legislation to allow the suspension of suspicious transactions
Turkish central bank steps in to calm markets in wake of coup attempt
Central bank promises banks unlimited liquidity as failed coup sends shockwaves through markets; economists say banking sector is holding up so far but has some vulnerabilities
NPLs down overall but progress is uneven – Kuwaiti report
Kuwaiti banks’ non-performing loans fell in aggregate in 2015 though they are on the rise in the household sector; banks well capitalised but asset growth slowing, financial stability report finds
CPMI digs into data on correspondent banking pull-back
Study based on Swift data and banking interviews sheds light on uneven pace of decline in correspondent banking; CPMI offers recommendations to help reverse direction of travel
IMF staff propose additional reforms to Italian banking sector
Directors at the fund “commend” the Italian authorities for reforms so far, while staff suggest a range of additional measures to tackle issues around resolution and NPLs