Banks
Ukraine donates $49,000 of medical equipment to Ministry of Defence
Equipment goes to five military hospitals in the provinces; national bank announces voluntary liquidation of two commercial banks
Belize governor worried about threat posed by ‘de-risking’
Regulators not fully taking note of uncertainty around regulation implementation; Caribbean region growth and financial stability “threatened” by pullback of global banks, governor says
Structural funding ratios could have helped detect failing banks – BoE working paper
Bank of England working paper reveals structural funding ratios could have helped detect which banks were likely to fail in the 2008 crisis; wholesale funding structures most prone to failure
Iran’s Seif details banking sector clean-up operation
Iranian central bank is working to improve the transmission of its monetary policy, stabilise the banking system and bring itself in line with international standards, governor says
Bank of Thailand eases loan restrictions for investment in GMS
Bank of Thailand aims to liberalise banking activities by broadening cross-border banking networks, governor says; central bank relaxing regulations as part of effort
Malaysian governor warns of banks ‘falling short’ on basic services
Muhammad bin Ibrahim voices concerns about communications from some frontline staff; instructs banks to remove “prohibitive conditions” attached to basic accounts
Kenyan central bank sets out Imperial Bank progress
Several court cases to be heard in coming weeks regarding central bank’s handling of receivership; one matter sees two depositors seeking 1 billion shillings
HKMA prepares cyber security ‘fortification’
Monetary authority seeks to build a framework for assessing cyber risks as well as providing training and building infrastructure for sharing “threat intelligence”
Research considers use of blockchain in securities settlement
Paper published by SWIFT Institute says full application of technology could lead to, and would require, change in existing business processes in the industry
Regulators can influence but not prescribe culture, Bailey says in last speech at PRA
Incoming FCA chief warns bank regulators cannot write a rule to “settle” culture, but cites the senior managers regime as an example of influence
World Bank report sees risks if Mozambique continues to raise rates
Report praises efforts of central bank so far but says further tightening could harm certain sectors of the economy; exchange rate volatility having adverse effects on debt
IMF staff call for new macro-prudential tools in Denmark
Danish authorities told to consider placing limits on debt to income ratios; macro-prudential measures suggested by IMF staff to complement existing regulation
Cunliffe warns of tough transition to new resolution regime
Going back to world of small, less complex banks is not how to solve ‘too big to fail’ problem, BoE deputy suggests, instead favouring a ‘multi-pronged’ regulatory approach
RBI plans to regulate nascent P2P market
Central bank proposes bringing peer-to-peer lending within its regulatory remit, fearing lack of oversight might lead the rapidly growing sector to develop “unhealthy practices”
Time ‘ripe’ to consolidate public banks – RBI’s Gandhi
Consolidation could help banks spread their risk and compete on a global scale, deputy governor says – though they may need a “nudge” from government to get going
BoE paper explores impact of prudential measures abroad on UK bank lending
No “significant” spillovers to bank lending following prudential measures, authors find, while composition of lending can change when domestic actions are taken
BoE paper seeks unified global approach to NPLs
A multidisciplinary approach to legal, accounting, statistical, economic and strategic elements of loan loss provisioning and NPLs
Cross-border banking contraction broadens – BIS statistics
Latest cross-border banking statistics show drop in cross-border claims spread in Q4 2015 from emerging markets to broader regions; China sees particularly large drops in lending
Troubled Kenyan bank to reopen under new management
Chase Bank will be managed by Kenya Commercial Bank, which may go on to acquire majority stake; questions raised over pressures on small and mid-sized banks
Basel Committee opts for local discretion on rate risk
Committee abandons attempt to create common global standard for interest rate risk, opting instead to leave discretion with banks and supervisors in final standards
Parliament gains influence in FCA chief appointments
George Osborne says Treasury Select Committee will be able to scrutinise future appointments before they are formalised, with the ability to send them to the House of Commons for a vote
Swedish regulator takes second stab at amortisation rule
Macro-prudential regulator unveils plans for mandatory amortisation similar to those struck down by the Swedish judiciary in 2015
Australian governor Stevens sees more viable options than helicopter money
Reserve Bank of Australia governor identifies a host of practical issues to helicopter money, and says there is more governments can be doing before then
Carney stresses bank resilience in face of large shocks
UK banks display resilience when threatened with Brexit-like shock, stress tests show; London "unlikely" to retain global financial centre status if Britain leaves EU, Carney says