Foreign exchange
On a slow road
Many in the energy industry are touting Italy as the next country in Europe to fully open its energy market to competition. But on closer examination, the country has a long way to go if it is to emulate the UK, the Nordic region and Germany. By Robin…
European tax-exempt firms wary on alternative investments
European tax-exempt institutions are lagging significantly behind their US counterparts in private equity and hedge fund investments, although the appeal of alternative investments is gaining popularity, according to Goldman Sachs.
Linear, yet attractive, Contour
Banks’ Potential Future Exposure models are at the core of the advanced EAD (Exposure At Default) approach to capital requirements for credit risk considered in the New Basel Capital Accord. Juan Cárdenas, Emmanuel Fruchard and Jean-François Picron look…
Basel II may not suit emerging economies, says US central banker
Washington - Rules embodied in the Basel II banking accord may be inappropriate for banks in emerging-market economies because a country may have unique circumstances, a senior US central banker said in December.
In search of clarity and focus
Greater precision is needed in defining operational risk, but the Basle regulators' latest thoughts are lost in generalities, says Jacques Pézier, in the final article of a three-part series.
Basel shortcomings: Danger lurks on the rocky road to Basel II
The Basel Accord proposals to define operational risk contain many fatal flaws, says Jacques Pézier. He argues that it would be better to focus management time on managing key risks than on developing op risk databases and measurement procedures.
Regulators want active dialogue on op risk
BASEL - Active dialogue between banks and their supervisors is the key to the continued development of approaches to managing operational risk, global banking regulators said in a much-delayed paper on op risk sound practices issued in December.
Approach with caution
Indicators of operational risk are not for the faint of heart, nor are they necessarily bearers of good news. But used properly and effectively, they can help businesses identify potential losses before they happen.
The Basel II capital accord: op risk proposals in brief
This summary has been updated to include the revisions to the Basel II op risk proposals contained in the Working Paper on the Regulatory Treatment of Operational Risk issued in September, 2001 and available on the Bank for International Settlements'…
Sound practices paper gets positive response
Bankers generally responded positively to the guidance on sound practices for managing operational risk issued by global banking regulators in December.
FASB: loan commitments must be treated like derivatives
The US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) ruled last month that some unfunded loan commitments made by banks should be treated like derivatives and marked-to-market. The ruling came nearly nine months after Goldman Sachs first proposed the…
European timetable threatened by CP3 delay
The European Union's timetable for bringing new risk-based bank capital adequacy rules into effect is in jeopardy following the decision of global banking regulators to delay publication of a key consultative paper.
Thai regulators plan Basel II impact study
Chiang Mai, Thailand - Thai banking regulators plan to conduct a full analysis in 2002 of the likely impact of applying the Basel II capital adequacy accord to Thailand's banks.
Op risk modelling evolves
Operational risk is devilishly difficult to model, but dealers and software vendors are making headway. Automated op risk reporting, profiling and sophisticated operational value-at-risk (VAR) modelling are finally beginning to catch-on in banks.
Emerging markets ramp up
Asset and liability management systems sales continue to be strong in the US and Europe, thanks to Basel II preparations. But it is in the emerging markets that vendors say strong sales growth will come in 2002.
Canada's Le Pan heads Basel advisory group
Nicholas Le Pan, superintendent of financial institutions in Canada, will lead a group that will help banking supervisors share information and approaches related to the coming into effect of the Basel II bank capital adequacy accord.
Basel II sets the pace for operational risk reform
Basel II is set to come into play in 2005, bringing a host of opportunities for vendors along with the new framework for banking supervision. Andrew Partridge examines the potential and some of the challenges for the suppliers and users of financial…
The Basel Accord: A tough nut to crack
Crafting a capital charge for operational risk has proven to be a project fraught with controversy. International regulators’ first attempt raised the industry’s hackles. David Keefe reports on recent – and further expected – compromises by the Basel…
Swiss and UK banks set to win as Japanese lose in Basel II
Swiss and UK banks are poised to be the main beneficiaries of the proposed new regulatory capital Accord, Basel II, according to results from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s quantitative impact study 2.5 (QIS2.5).
2002 the year ahead
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