Risk transfer to insurers could threaten Basel II, warns UK central banker

Financial stability and financial efficiency could be undermined if the new Basel II capital adequacy rules proposed for banks are simply "arbitraged away" by the transferral of banking risks to insurers, according to a senior UK central banker.

In May, Bank of England deputy governor David Clementi called for a critical look at the rationale for the difference in the way banks and insurance companies are regulated.

Clementi said he would welcome being put on the international agenda the question of whether the trend towards risk-based regulation of banks exemplified by Basel II needed mirroring in non-life insurance regulation in Europe.

Basel II is the new set of rules due to come into force in 2004 that stipulate how much capital

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@risk.net or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.risk.net/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@risk.net to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Risk.net? View our subscription options

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Risk.net account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here