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Middle East and Central Asia > Saudi Arabia

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 48 items for :

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  • General Financial Markets: Government Policy and Regulation x
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Cover Policy Papers
Gulf Cooperation Council: Pursuing Visions Amid Geopolitical Turbulence: Economic Prospects and Policy Challenges for the GCC Countries
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
The Gulf Cooperation Council countries have successfully weathered recent turbulence in the Middle East, and their economic prospects remain favorable. Nonhydrocarbon activity has been strong amid reform implementation, although overall growth has decelerated due to cuts in oil production. The growth outlook is positive, as the envisaged easing of oil production cuts and natural gas expansion spur the recovery in the hydrocarbon sector, while the nonhydrocarbon economy continues to expand. External buffers remain comfortable despite current account balances having narrowed. Risks around the outlook are broadly balanced in the near term. More challenging medium-term risks, especially in the context of geoeconomic fragmentation and climate change, call for action on policy priorities to continue to strengthen the private sector and to diversify the economy.
Keywords:
economic diversification; financial stability; fiscal sustainability; GCC; productivity improvements; regional integration; GCC country; policy priority; B. GCC; GCC well; GCC public sector balance sheet; Labor markets; Fiscal rules; Total factor productivity; Global; Middle East; Middle East and Central Asia
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Saudi Arabia: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Detailed Assessment of Observance-Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper discusses Detailed Assessment of Observance of the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision for the Saudi Arabia Financial Sector Assessment Program. Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has progressively updated its regulations and continued focus on this process will be important. SAMA’s responsibility for banking supervision is clearly set out in the law, although without clearly establishing the promotion of safety and soundness of banks and the banking system as an explicit or primary mandate. There is room to strengthen SAMA’s operational independence, accountability framework, transparency, and legal protection. Strengthening powers and updating regulations, along with developing internal guidelines, will help strengthen processes for licensing, transfer of significant ownership and controlling interest, and major acquisitions by banks. SAMA’s well-established risk-based approach would benefit from a review of the scope of application of supervisory oversight, tools, and reporting. Prudential requirements mostly apply (appropriately) at both a solo and consolidated level, but monitoring is in practice only at the domestic level.
Keywords:
IMF-World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Program; adequacy ASSESSMENT process; banking supervision department; banking control law; counter financing; Bank supervision; Credit risk; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Market risk; Operational risk; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Saudi Arabia: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Financial System Stability Assessment
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper highlights Saudi Arabia’s Financial System Stability Assessment as part of Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). The FSAP took place against the backdrop of a robust economy driven by an ambitious state-led transformation agenda to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification (Vision 2030). The Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund plays a key role in implementing and funding the economic transformation. At present, financial sector risks from the rapid economic transformation appear contained. Banks are well-capitalized, profitable and appear resilient to severe macroeconomic shocks. Banks’ capacity to manage liquidity stress scenarios is generally good, although funding concentration is sizable. The authorities have made commendable efforts to mitigate risks from the rapidly growing credit and real estate market, but significant data gaps create challenges for systemic risk monitoring. The time is right to strengthen systemic risk monitoring and the legal, institutional, and operational frameworks in support of financial stability going forward.
Keywords:
B. bank stress tests; liquidity stress scenario; liquidation framework; coverage ratio; mission chief World Bank; World Bank FSAP team member; Financial sector stability; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Macroprudential policy; Commercial banks; Global
Cover Departmental Papers
Central Bank Digital Currencies in the Middle East and Central Asia
Serpil Bouza
,
Bashar Hlayhel
,
Thomas Kroen
,
Marcello Miccoli
,
Borislava Mircheva
,
Greta Polo
,
Sahra Sakha
, and
Yang Yang
Against the backdrop of a rapidly digitalizing world, there is a growing interest in central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) among central banks, including in the Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) region. This paper aims to support ME&CA policymakers in examining key questions when considering the adoption of a CBDC while underscoring the importance of country-specific analyses. This paper does not provide recommendations on CBDC issuance. Instead, it frames the discussion around the following key questions: What is a CBDC? What objectives do policymakers aim to achieve with the issuance of a CBDC? Which inefficiencies in payment systems can CBDCs address? What are the implications of CBDC issuance for financial stability and central bank operational risk? How can CBDC design help achieve policy objectives and mitigate these risks? The paper provides preliminary answers to these questions at the regional level. A survey of IMF teams and public statements from ME&CA policymakers confirm that promoting financial inclusion and making payment systems more efficient (domestic and cross-border) are the top priorities in the region. Payment services through CBDCs, if offered at a lower cost than existing alternatives, could spur competition in the payment market and help increase access to bank accounts, improve financial inclusion, and update legacy technology platforms. CBDCs may also help improve the efficiency of cross-border payment services, especially if designed to address frictions arising from a lack of payment system interoperability, complex processing of compliance checks, long transaction chains, and weak competition. At the same time, CBDCs could negatively impact bank profitability while introducing a substantial operational burden for central banks. However, the exact economic and financial impacts of CBDCs need further study and would depend on estimates of CBDC demand, which are uncertain and country- dependent. CBDC issuance and adoption is a long journey that policymakers should approach with care. Policymakers need to analyze carefully whether a CBDC serves their country’s objectives and whether the expected benefits outweigh the potential costs, in addition to risks for the financial system and operational risks for the central bank.
Keywords:
central; bank; digital; currency; CBDC implementation; CBDC design; CBDC uptake; monetary policy pass-through; market power; CBDC issuance; Central Bank digital currencies; Payment systems; Financial inclusion; Digital financial services; Commercial banks; Middle East and Central Asia; Middle East; North Africa; Central Asia and the Caucasus; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Financial Stability in a Higher-for-Longer Interest Rate Environment The Case of the Middle East and North Africa
Adrian Alter
,
Bashar Hlayhel
,
Thomas Kroen
, and
Thomas Piontek
This paper assesses the state and resilience of corporate and banking sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a “higher-for-longer” interest rate environment using granular micro data to conduct the first cross-country corporate and banking sector stress tests for the MENA region. The results suggest that corporate sector debt at risk may increase sizably from 12 to 30 percent of total corporate debt. Banking systems would be broadly resilient in an adverse scenario featuring higher interest rates, corporate sector stress, and rising liquidity pressures with Tier-1 capital ratios declining by 2.3 percentage points in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and 4.0 percentage points in non-GCC MENA countries. In the cross-section of banks, there are pockets of vulnerabilities as banks with higher ex-ante vulnerabilities and state-owned banks suffer greater losses. While manageable, the capital losses in the adverse scenario could limit lending and adversely impact growth.
Keywords:
Bank capital; stress testing; financial stability; zombie credit; bank funding profile; banking sector stress test; bank interest rate risk; bank Summary statistics; banking stress test result; Commercial banks; Corporate sector; Credit; Capital adequacy requirements; Middle East; North Africa; East Africa; Global
Cover Policy Papers
2021 Financial Sector Assessment Program Review—Towards A More Stable And Sustainable Financial System
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) Provides In-Depth Assessments Of Financial Sectors. FSAPs Are Usually Conducted Jointly With The World Bank In Emerging Market And Developing Economies And By The Fund Alone In Advanced Economies. Fsaps Provide Valuable Analysis And Policy Recommendations For Surveillance And Capacity Development. Since The Program’s Inception, 157 Fund Members Have Undergone Individual Or Regional Fsaps. In Recent Years, The Fund Has Been Conducting 12–14 Fsaps Per Year At A Cost Of About 3 Percent Of The Fund’s Direct Spending.
Keywords:
FSAP toolkit; FSAP prioritization; FSAP cost; risk analysis toolkit; FSAP agenda; IMF's FSAP; risk analysis; Financial Sector Assessment Program; Financial stability assessment; Financial sector risk; Stress testing; Financial sector stability; Global
Cover Policy Papers
2021 Comprehensive Surveillance Review— Background Paper on Traction
International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department
This paper presents traction as a multidimensional concept and discusses a comprehensive and complementary set of approaches to attempt to measure it based on the Fund’s value added to policy dialogue and formulation and public debate in member countries.
Keywords:
article IV advice; fund policy advice; fund advice; policy dialogue; IMF's transparency policy; COVID-19; Income; Financial Sector Assessment Program; Financial sector stability; Machine learning; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Nature of Islamic Banking and Solvency Stress Testing - Conceptual Considerations
Andreas Jobst
and
Mr. Juan Sole
This paper provides a conceptual overview of key aspects of the design and implementation of solvency stress testing of Islamic banks. Based on existing regulatory standards and prudential practice, the paper explains how Islamic finance principles and their impact on various risk drivers affect the capital assessment of asset-oriented financial intermediation under stress. The formal specification of these risk factors helps operationalize and integrate the stress testing of Islamic banks within established frameworks for financial stability analysis.
Keywords:
WP; stress testing; Islamic banking; Islamic finance principles; capital adequacy; shari’ah compliance.; Islamic bank; rate of return; market risk; operating income; interest rate; deposit base; financial system; asset performance; liabilities consist; Market risk; Credit risk; Islamic finance; Global; Middle East and Central Asia; Southeast Asia; Africa; counterparty risk of a bank; DCR bank; investment risk reserve; investment risk; counterparty risk; asset impairment; E. market risk
Cover Law & Financial Stability
Law & Financial Stability
International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept.

Abstract

This volume comprises a selection of papers prepared in connection with a high-level seminar on Law and Financial Stability held at the IMF in 2016. It examines, from a legal perspective, the progress made in implementing the financial regulatory reforms adopted since the global financial crisis and highlights the role of the IMF in advancing these reforms and charting the course for a future reform agenda, including the development of a coherent international policy framework for resolution and resolution planning. The book’s unique perspective on the role of the law in promoting financial stability comes from the contribution of selected experts and representatives from our membership who share their views on this subject.

Keywords:
BOOK; bank; authority; central bank; enterprise; CCP participant; insolvency regime; enterprise group; risk management decision; IFSB standard; Bank resolution framework; Islamic banking; Financial sector stability; Bank resolution; Central counterparty clearing house; Global; Caribbean; Europe; Western Hemisphere; Sub-Saharan Africa; resolution authority; financial crisis; bank holding company
Cover IMF Working Papers
How Do Changing U.S. Interest Rates Affect Banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries?
Mr. Olumuyiwa S Adedeji
,
Yacoub Alatrash
, and
Mr. Divya Kirti
Given their pegged exchange rate regimes, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries usually adjust their policy rates to match shifting U.S. monetary policy. This raises the important question of how changes in U.S. monetary policy affect banks in the GCC. We use bank-level panel data, exploiting variation across banks within countries, to isolate the impact of changing U.S. interest rates on GCC banks funding costs, asset rates, and profitability. We find stronger pass-through from U.S. monetary policy to liability rates than to asset rates and bank profitability, largely reflecting funding structures. In addition, we explore the role of shifts in the quantity of bank liabilities as policy rates change and the role of large banks with relatively stable funding costs to explain these findings.
Keywords:
WP; bank; rate; liability; liability rate; GCC bank assets rate; panel data; banks scope; sensitive bank; bank level; bank assets rate; liability structure; Central bank policy rate; Deposit rates; Bank soundness; Competition; Commercial banks; Global