BCBS Coordinates Policy and Supervisory Response to COVID-19

BCBS held a conference call on March 20, 2020 to discuss the impact of the rapid worldwide spread of COVID-19 on the global banking system. Member jurisdictions are pursuing a range of regulatory and supervisory measures to alleviate the financial stability impact of COVID-19. These measures target the provision of lending by banks to the real economy and facilitate banks' ability to absorb losses in an orderly manner. The Basel Committee supports the objectives of these measures and notes that members have flexibility to undertake further measures if needed. The Basel III framework includes capital and liquidity buffers that are designed to be used in periods of stress. These include the capital conservation buffer and, by extension, the countercyclical capital buffer and buffers for systemically important banks. They also include banks' stock of high-quality liquid assets (HQLA). Using capital resources to support the real economy and absorb losses should take priority at present over discretionary distributions. HQLA stocks should be used to meet liquidity demands. Many supervisors are already encouraging banks to make use of these tools, which allow for flexibility in responding to the current circumstances. BCBS statement adds that banks and supervisors must remain vigilant in light of the evolving nature of COVID-19 to ensure that the global banking system remains financially and operationally resilient. 

Related Link: Press Release

Keywords: International, Banking, Basel III, COVID 19, RCAP, Regulatory Capital, Liquidity Risk, HQLA, BCBS