APRA Explains Capital Treatment of a COVID Loan Scheme for Banks
APRA published a new frequently asked question (FAQ) for authorized deposit-taking institutions on the credit risk capital treatment of loans covered by the Coronavirus Australian Government Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Guarantee Scheme. The Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme (both phases), established by the Commonwealth Government may be regarded as an eligible guarantee by the Australian Government for risk-weighting purposes.
For both secured and unsecured lending, the uncovered portion of the exposure must be risk-weighted according to the risk-weight applicable to the original counterparty. In relation to the covered portion of the exposure:
- Authorized deposit-taking institutions utilizing the standardized approach may apply a risk-weight appropriate to the government in accordance with APS 112 on Standardized Approach to Credit Risk
- Authorized deposit-taking institutions utilizing the internal-ratings bases (IRB) approach may apply a risk-weight derived by using the relevant substitution approach in accordance with the requirements specified in APS 113 on IRB approach to credit risk
Related Links
Keywords: Asia Pacific, Australia, Banking, COVID-19, Credit Risk, FAQ, Basel, Regulatory Capital, APS 112, APS 113, Loan Guarantee, IRB Approach, Standardized Approach, APRA
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.

Victor Calanog, Ph.D.
Leading economist; commercial real estate; performance forecasting, econometric infrastructure; data modeling; credit risk modeling; portfolio assessment; custom commercial real estate analysis; thought leader.
Previous Article
CSSF Amends Circulars on ICAAP, ILAAP, and Stress Testing ProgramRelated Articles
OSFI Finalizes on Climate Risk Guideline, Issues Other Updates
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is seeking comments, until May 31, 2023, on the draft guideline on culture and behavior risk, with final guideline expected by the end of 2023.
BIS Paper Examines Impact of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Lending
BIS issued a paper that investigates the effect of the greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions of firms on bank loans using bank–firm matched data of Japanese listed firms from 2006 to 2018.
HMT Mulls Alignment of Ring-Fencing and Resolution Regimes for Banks
The HM Treasury (HMT) is seeking evidence, until May 07, 2023, on practicalities of aligning the ring-fencing and the banking resolution regimes for banks.
BCBS Report Examines Impact of Basel III Framework for Banks
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) published results of the Basel III monitoring exercise based on the June 30, 2022 data.
PRA Consults on Prudential Rules for "Simpler-Regime" Firms
Among the recent regulatory updates from UK authorities, a key development is the first-phase consultation, from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), on simplifications to the prudential framework that would apply to the simpler-regime firms.
DNB Publishes Multiple Reporting Updates for Banks
DNB, the central bank of Netherlands, updated the list of additional reporting requests and published additional data quality checks and XBRL-Formula linkbase documents for the first quarter of 2023.
NBB Sets Out Climate Risk Expectations, Issues Reporting Updates
The National Bank of Belgium (NBB) published a communication on climate-related and environmental risks, issued an update on XBRL reporting
EBA Updates Address Securitization Standards and DGS Guidelines
The European Banking Authority (EBA) published the final draft of the regulatory technical standards that set out conditions for assessment of homogeneity of the underlying exposures in simple, transparent, and standardized (STS) securitizations.
FSB Publishes Letter to G20, Sets Out Work Priorities for 2023
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a letter intended for the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, highlighting the work that FSB will take forward under the Indian G20 Presidency in 2023
ISSB Standards May Become Effective from January 2024
The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) welcomed the confirmation statement by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) setting out its progress in the development of its first sustainability-related corporate disclosure standards.