EU Committee Recommends Systemic Risk Buffer of 4.5% in Norway
The Standing Committee of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) recommended that a systemic risk buffer level of 4.5% for domestic exposures can be considered appropriate for addressing the identified systemic risks to the stability of the financial system in Norway. Before making this recommendation, the Committee has carefully considered the evidence provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, including the results of stress tests performed by the Norwegian authorities and the historical data on past severe crises in Norway. Thus, the Standing Committee of the EFTA States does not recommend any changes to the notified measure of the Norwegian Ministry in view of its effects on subsidiaries of credit institutions established in other European Economic Area states. Currently, credit institutions in Norway are subject to a systemic risk buffer of 3% on all exposures, except for two systemically important institutions that are subject to a systemic risk buffer of 5% on all exposures.
The notified systemic risk buffer of 4.5% would apply from December 31, 2020 to all credit institutions, except credit institutions that do not use the advanced internal ratings-based approach, as they would have a transitional period where the current buffer remains 3% on all exposures until December 31, 2022. The measure will apply to domestic exposures of credit institutions authorized in Norway, including five subsidiaries of parents established in other EU member states. The measure will be re-evaluated by the Ministry of Finance every second year. The Committee states that the notified systemic risk buffer is justified, suitable, proportionate, and effective to address the systemic risks for which it is intended. In its recommendation, the Committee also notes that other macro-prudential measures in the Capital Requirements Directive or Regulation, alone or in combination, would be relatively less effective in sufficiently and adequately addressing the identified risk.
Additionally, to reduce the potential for leakages to foreign institutions that are active in Norway through branches, the Ministry plans to request reciprocation of the systemic risk buffer for all European Economic Area institutions with exposures to Norway. The recommendation sets out that the notified measure, including its application to subsidiaries whose parents are established in other European Economic Area states, does not entail disproportionate adverse effects on the financial system of Norway or of the European Economic Area as a whole and does not constitute an obstacle to the proper functioning of the internal market. However, the Standing Committee notes that the reciprocation request and the higher capital requirements this would imply for foreign credit institutions will be assessed by ESRB when the Ministry will request the ESRB to recommend to its members to reciprocate the measure.
Related Link: Recommendation
Keywords: Europe, EU, Norway, Banking, Systemic Risk Buffer, CRD, CRR, Basel, Systemic Risk, Regulatory Capital, IRB Approach, EU Standing Committee
Featured Experts
María Cañamero
Skilled market researcher; growth strategist; successful go-to-market campaign developer
Nicolas Degruson
Works with financial institutions, regulatory experts, business analysts, product managers, and software engineers to drive regulatory solutions across the globe.
Blake Coules
Across 35 years in banking, Blake has gained deep insights into the inner working of this sector. Over the last two decades, Blake has been an Operating Committee member, leading teams and executing strategies in Credit and Enterprise Risk as well as Line of Business. His focus over this time has been primarily Commercial/Corporate with particular emphasis on CRE. Blake has spent most of his career with large and mid-size banks. Blake joined Moody’s Analytics in 2021 after leading the transformation of the credit approval and reporting process at a $25 billion bank.
Related Articles
US Agencies Issue Several Regulatory and Reporting Updates
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FED) adopted the final rule on Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act.
ECB Issues Multiple Reports and Regulatory Updates for Banks
The European Central Bank (ECB) published an updated list of supervised entities, a report on the supervision of less significant institutions (LSIs), a statement on macro-prudential policy.
HKMA Keeps List of D-SIBs Unchanged, Makes Other Announcements
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published a circular on the prudential treatment of crypto-asset exposures, an update on the status of transition to new interest rate benchmarks.
EU Issues FAQs on Taxonomy Regulation, Rules Under CRD, FICOD and SFDR
The European Commission (EC) adopted the standards addressing supervisory reporting of risk concentrations and intra-group transactions, benchmarking of internal approaches, and authorization of credit institutions.
CBIRC Revises Measures on Corporate Governance Supervision
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) issued rules to manage the risk of off-balance sheet business of commercial banks and rules on corporate governance of financial institutions.
HKMA Publications Address Sustainability Issues in Financial Sector
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) made announcements to address sustainability issues in the financial sector.
EBA Updates Address Basel and NPL Requirements for Banks
The European Banking Authority (EBA) published regulatory standards on identification of a group of connected clients (GCC) as well as updated the lists of identified financial conglomerates.
ESMA Publishes 2022 ESEF XBRL Taxonomy and Conformance Suite
The General Board of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), at its December meeting, issued an updated risk assessment via the quarterly risk dashboard and held discussions on key policy priorities to address the systemic risks in the European Union.
FCA Sets up ESG Committee, Imposes Penalties, and Issues Other Updates
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking comments, until December 21, 2022, on the draft guidance for firms to support existing mortgage borrowers.
FSB Reports Assess NBFI Sector and Progress on LIBOR Transition
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a report that assesses progress on the transition from the Interbank Offered Rates, or IBORs, to overnight risk-free rates as well as a report that assesses global trends in the non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector.
