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International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept.
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International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department
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International Monetary Fund. Policy Development and Review Dept.
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International Monetary Fund. Secretary's Department
On November 15, 2024, the IMF’s Executive Board concluded the Review of the IMF’s Transparency Policy and Open Archives Policy and approved a number of reforms. As an international institution, making important documents available to the public on timely basis enhances the IMF’s credibility, accountability, and effectiveness and is critical to fulfill its mandate of promoting global economic and financial stability. While transparency at the IMF is achieved through a range of policies and practices, the Transparency Policy and the Open Archives Policy form the core elements of the IMF’s transparency framework. The Fund has come a long way since the inception of these policies in the early nineties. Most Board documents are now published, published more quickly, and under more consistent and evenhanded application of modification rules. The information available in the Fund’s archives has increased and is more easily accessible to the public. While experience suggests that these policies are effective in delivering on their objectives, the landscape in which the Fund operates has evolved since these policies were last reviewed in 2013. In a more interconnected and shock-prone world the pace with which policymakers need to make decisions has accelerated and the expectations of stakeholders on the availability and timeliness of the Fund’s analysis and policy advice has grown. Against this backdrop, the 2024 Review of the IMF’s Transparency Policy and Open Archives Policy focuses on targeted reforms to (i) support faster publication of board documents and communications of Board’s decisions; (ii) strengthen the rules and processes to modify Board documents prior to publication; and (iii) allow faster release of some documents in the Fund’s archives accessible to the public. The reforms further clarify the scope and objectives of these policies, their implementation processes, and how to strengthen knowledge sharing. The review was supported by data analysis as well as surveys and consultations with key stakeholders, including Executive Directors, country authorities, IMF missions chiefs, and civil society organizations as detailed in the three background papers accompanying this 2024 review.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
L’économie algérienne se relevait juste de la pandémie lorsqu’elle a été frappée par les répercussions de la guerre en Ukraine et une succession de sécheresses. Ces chocs ont alimenté l’inflation, même si la hausse des cours mondiaux des hydrocarbures a aussi augmenté les recettes publiques et les exportations. L’Algérie a enregistré une croissance vigoureuse en 2023 et sa position extérieure est restée solide, avec un excédent des transactions extérieures pour la deuxième année consécutive et une nouvelle accumulation de réserves de change. L’inflation demeure élevée et pourrait s’enraciner. Les lois de finances 2023–24 visent à soutenir le pouvoir d’achat des ménages, mais risquent d’épuiser les marges de manœuvre qui protègent le budget contre la volatilité des recettes. Les réformes structurelles progressent, avec la promulgation de la loi monétaire et bancaire et la mise en œuvre de la budgétisation par programmes et du code de l’investissement de 2022. Des investissements dans la transition numérique permettraient de renforcer la gouvernance et la transparence, de réduire les risques de corruption et d’améliorer la prestation des services.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper presents a technical note on macroprudential policy framework in The Netherlands. The Financial Sector Assessment Program recommendations aim to address observed gaps and further strengthen the Netherlands’ macroprudential policy framework. Macroprudential policy in the Netherlands has centered on the residential real estate market given the importance of this market for households, banks, and insurers. The current institutional arrangement is broadly in line with IMF guidance for effective macroprudential policy. Surveillance and systemic risk assessment rely on comprehensive quantitative information and on various property market models and stress tests. The willingness to act and the ability to act over the calibration of the borrower-based tools are, however, considered weak. The authorities recently increased the differentiation of the transfer tax to improve the position of owner-occupiers relative to that of buy-to-let investors, but the measure should be calibrated cautiously. Supply-side measures remain critical to limit house price pressures and improve access to homeownership.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper presents a technical note on climate risk analysis in The Netherlands. The Netherlands is exposed to both physical and transition risks from climate change. This Financial Sector Assessment Program FSAP analyzed potential risks to financial stability posed by physical risks from floods and transition risks from nitrogen. In order to assess physical climate risks, bank stress tests were conducted against flood events under a range of scenarios encompassing diverse regions, climate conditions, and flood protection reinforcement plans with different return periods. Despite the sizeable land area in the Netherlands susceptible to flooding, the physical climate stress test has demonstrated that the banking sector exhibits resilience to flood events. As the government’s efforts to reduce nitrogen depositions continue, the banking sector could face transition risks through the credit channel, particularly if loans are extended to financially vulnerable firms in high nitrogen-emitting sectors. The Dutch government should strengthen data sharing and collaboration with floods and climate experts. Flood scenarios designed with detailed flood maps under future climate conditions would provide a more accurate assessment of both climate change impact and adaptation measures.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper describes a technical note on securities regulation and supervision in The Netherlands. Regulation of securities and derivatives markets in the European Union (EU) has changed materially since the last Netherlands Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), with further reforms underway. The securities market landscape in the Netherlands has also changed markedly since the last FSAP, largely in response to Brexit. The Netherlands is now of EU-wide significance in relation to the trading of securities, particularly equities, which has brought challenges for the national authorities. Further enhancements of its approach and a continuing focus on trading system operational resilience are now needed. The established venues are growing and diversifying their offerings, and ‘fintech’ new entrants with business models combining trading and post-trading operations in new ways are on the horizon. Enhancements to the legislative framework are now needed to ensure that the Autoriteit Financiële Markten can continue to supervise efficiently and effectively an expanded and more diverse market, and to engage credibly with international counterparts.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper presents a technical note on banking supervision in The Netherlands. Supervision of less significant institutions is effective in the Netherlands. The Financial Sector Assessment Program encourages De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) to maintain its proactive and creative approach, and proposes some extensions to solidify this practice. DNB and the Autoriteit Financiële Markten should also continue the rigorous practice in IO Mortgage supervision, while further emphasizing the quality of inputs for risk managements of banks, in particular, updated clients’ disposable incomes and collaterals’ values, and motivating banks to improve risk controls and the data aggregation process. Going forward, supervision must reflect a changing market landscape and rapid deployment of new technologies.
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper presents Costa Rica’s Sixth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Third Review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangement, and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause. The authorities continue to make important progress on Costa Rica’s economic reform agenda. Going forward, the authorities should focus on institutionalizing the impressive progress over the past three years and sustaining reform momentum. The supervisory authorities should continue to enhance their toolkits to strengthen financial sector resilience. A recently submitted bill to amend the bank resolution and deposit insurance law would help strengthen the crisis management framework and the financial safety net and should be approved quickly. Keeping the momentum of structural reforms is critical to achieving greener and more inclusive growth. The new social assistance single window is increasing the quality of social spending. It is critical for the public employment bill to be fully implemented by all affected institutions.
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
This paper presents Sri Lanka’s 2024 Article IV Consultation and Second Review under the Extended Fund Facility, Request for Modification of Performance Criterion, and Financing Assurances Review. Performance under the program has been strong. All quantitative targets for end-December 2023 were met, except the indicative target on social spending. Most structural benchmarks due by end-April 2024 were either met or implemented with delay. Nevertheless, the economy is still vulnerable and the path to debt sustainability remains knife-edged. Sustaining the reform momentum and efforts to restructure debt are critical to put the economy on a path toward lasting recovery and debt sustainability. The Article IV Consultation focused on wide-ranging reforms to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, maintain price stability, safeguard financial stability, rebuild external buffers, and implement growth-oriented structural reforms, including by strengthening governance. The authorities need to press ahead with their efforts to address structural challenges to unlock long-term potential.
Thomas Kroen
Amid a pegged exchange rate to the US dollar and an open capital account, Oman’s policy rates move closely with US monetary policy. In this analysis, we show empirically that transmission from policy rates into effective lending and deposit rates remains subdued in Oman, even compared to GCC peers that similarly face a high oil price environment with persistent excess liquidity in the banking system. A cap on personal loan rates and low exposure of banks to SMEs and riskier borrowers limit passthrough into effective lending rates and credit conditions. The note documents ongoing actions by Omani policymakers to strengthen transmission and provides further recommendations on liquidity management, reserve management, and relaxing the interest rate cap.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation discusses that Luxembourg’ economy contracted in 2023 despite buoyant consumption, mainly due to weak external demand and residential investment. Inflation is subsiding but underlying measures remain high. Credit growth turned negative as demand dropped and real estate prices declined. The newly elected government has approved a mix of temporary and permanent measures to support purchasing power and housing demand. Gradually easing financial conditions, continuing disinflation and expansionary fiscal policy is expected to help the economy rebound and the financial cycle bottom out. Inflation should decline in 2024, before temporarily increasing in 2025 once administrative price measures expire. The recovery is fragile amid heightened geopolitical tensions. Risks are tilted to the downside, stemming mainly from external demand/supply shocks and a disorderly correction of asset prices, including domestic real estate valuations. Sustained economic growth hinges on raising productivity, which has been stagnant since the Global Financial Crisis. Increasing investment in intangible assets, aligning workers’ skills with the current demands of the economy, reducing administrative burden, and making the wage indexation system more flexible will be key to harnessing productivity gains and bolstering competitiveness.