APRA Publishes Results of Climate Risk Self-Assessment Survey
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has published the findings of its latest climate risk self-assessment survey conducted across the banking, insurance, and superannuation industries.
The voluntary survey, issued in March 2022, was designed to provide insights into how APRA-regulated entities are aligning their practices with the expectations set out in prudential practice guide on climate change financial risks (CPG 229). Released last November, CPG 229 provides APRA-regulated entities with guidance on managing the financial risks and opportunities that may arise from a changing climate. The responses to the survey, from 64 medium to large institutions, suggest APRA-regulated entities are generally aligning well to APRA’s guidance, especially in the areas of governance and disclosure. Climate risk, however, remains an emerging discipline compared to other traditional risk areas, with only a small portion of survey respondents indicating that they have fully embedded climate risk across their risk management framework. Other key observations based on the entities’ self-assessments include:
- Four out of five boards oversee climate risk on a regular basis, while just under two-thirds of institutions (63%) have incorporated climate risk into their strategic planning process.
- Almost 40% of institutions said climate-related events could have a material or moderate impact on their direct operations.
- Institutions consider that they have moderate vulnerability to both physical and transition risks under a high-risk scenario, and they consider these risks to be within an acceptable range for the institution’s current risk appetite.
- Nearly three-quarters of institutions (73%) said they had one or more climate-related targets in place, however 23% of institutions do not have any metrics to measure and monitor climate risks.
- Over two-thirds of institutions (68%) said they have publicly disclosed their approach to measuring and managing climate risks, with 90% of those aligning their disclosure to the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework.
While the responses overall indicated broad alignment with CPG 229 across the industries, there are areas for improvement at both industry and individual institution levels. The insights from the survey responses will be integrated into supervisory activities in accordance with APRA’s risk-based supervision model. APRA expects institutions to evolve their climate risk management practices in response to developments in climate-related science, data, and stakeholder expectations. A future survey of this kind will be considered as a tool to monitor how APRA-regulated institutions are evolving their approach over time. APRA will be seeking to develop additional tools to evaluate climate-related financial risks and increasing its scrutiny of institutions’ progress in addressing the impact of climate risk.
Related Links
Keywords: Asia Pacific, Australia, Banking, Climate Change Risk, ESG, Insurance, CPG 229, Disclosures, TCFD, Climate Risk Survey, Governance, APRA
Featured Experts
James Partridge
Credit analytics expert helping clients understand, develop, and implement credit models for origination, monitoring, and regulatory reporting.
Hasan Cerhozi
Hasan leads Moody’s Analytics ESG methodology development. He is expert on carbon transition, nature related risks and is a guest lecturer at ESSEC Business school on sustainable finance.
Michael Denton, PhD, PE
Dr. Denton provides industry leadership in the quantification of sustainability issues, climate risk, trade credit and emerging lending risks. His deep foundations in market and credit risk provide critical perspectives on how climate/sustainability risks can be measured, communicated and used to drive commercial opportunities, policy, strategy, and compliance. He supports corporate clients and financial institutions in leveraging Moody’s tools and capabilities to improve decision-making and compliance capabilities, with particular focus on the energy, agriculture and physical commodities industries.
Previous Article
MNB Issues Green Finance Reports and Recommendation on Revolut BankRelated Articles
SEC Finalizes Climate-Related Disclosures Rule
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has finalized the long-awaited rule that mandates climate-related disclosures for domestic and foreign publicly listed companies in the U.S.
US Regulators Release Stress Test Scenarios for Banks
The U.S. regulators recently released baseline and severely adverse scenarios, along with other details, for stress testing the banks in 2024. The relevant U.S. banking regulators are the Federal Reserve Bank (FED), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
Asian Governments Aim for Interoperability in AI Governance Frameworks
The regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence (AI), including the generative kind, is evolving rapidly, with governments and regulators aiming to address the challenges and opportunities presented by this transformative technology.
EBA Proposes Operational Risk Standards Under Final Basel III Package
The European Union (EU) has been working on the final elements of Basel III standards, with endorsement of the Banking Package and the publication of the European Banking Authority (EBA) roadmap on Basel III implementation in December 2023.
EFRAG Proposes XBRL Taxonomy and Standard for Listed SMEs Under ESRS
The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), which plays a crucial role in shaping corporate reporting standards in European Union (EU), is seeking comments, until May 21, 2024, on the Exposure Draft ESRS for listed SMEs.
ECB to Expand Climate Change Work in 2024-2025
Banking regulators worldwide are increasingly focusing on addressing, monitoring, and supervising the institutions' exposure to climate and environmental risks.
BIS Bulletin Examines Cognitive Limits of Large Language Models
The use cases of generative AI in the banking sector are evolving fast, with many institutions adopting the technology to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.
ECB is Conducting First Cyber Risk Stress Test for Banks
As part of the increasing regulatory focus on operational resilience, cyber risk stress testing is also becoming a crucial aspect of ensuring bank resilience in the face of cyber threats.
EBA Continues Momentum Toward Strengthening Prudential Rules for Banks
A few years down the road from the last global financial crisis, regulators are still issuing rules and monitoring banks to ensure that they comply with the regulations.
EU and UK Agencies Issue Updates on Final Basel III Rules
The European Commission (EC) recently issued an update informing that the European Council and the Parliament have endorsed the Banking Package implementing the final elements of Basel III standards