GHOS Endorses Coordinated Approach to Mitigate COVID Risks for Banks
The Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision (GHOS), the oversight body of BCBS, endorsed a coordinated approach to mitigate COVID-19 risks to the global banking system. The GHOS members agreed to mark, with the present agreement on the Basel III framework, a clear end to the post-crisis Basel III policy agenda. Any further potential adjustments to Basel III will be limited in nature and consistent with the evaluation work of BCBS. Going forward, the Basel III-related work of BCBS will focus on monitoring the implementation, timeliness, and consistency of Basel standards through the Regulatory Consistency Assessment Program as well as completing an evidence-based evaluation of the effectiveness of these reforms, also taking into consideration the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.
The GHOS also endorsed a series of recommendations from the Basel Committee to focus its policy and supervisory agenda on future risks to the global banking system and its vulnerabilities. The recommendations followed a strategic review conducted by the Committee over the past year. The future work of the Basel Committee will focus on new and emerging topics, including structural trends in the banking sector, the ongoing digitalization of finance, and climate-related financial risk. Against the backdrop of the evolving risks and vulnerabilities in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, GHOS members tasked the Basel Committee with continuing to pursue a coordinated approach in responding to the crisis, to preserve a global level playing field, and to avoid regulatory fragmentation. The approach comprises the following elements:
- Ongoing monitoring and assessment of vulnerabilities and risks to the global banking system from COVID-19, along with information-sharing of supervisory insights during the crisis
- Encouraging the use of flexibility embedded in the Basel framework, where relevant
- Monitoring the implementation of temporary adjustments to mitigate current risks to the banking system, to ensure they are consistent with the objectives of the Basel framework and are unwound in a timely manner
- Adopting additional global measures in a coordinated manner, where necessary and prudent
The oversight body of BCBS noted that using capital and liquidity resources to help banks to absorb shock during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis "should take priority at present." GHOS members strongly support the repeated guidance from the Basel Committee that a measured drawdown of these buffers is appropriate in the current period of stress and until the COVID-19 crisis is over. After the crisis, supervisors will provide banks with sufficient time to rebuild their buffers, taking account of economic, market, and bank-specific conditions.
Related Link: Press Release
Keywords: International, Banking, COVID-19, GHOS, RCAP, Basel, Regulatory Framework, Liquidity Risk, Climate Change Risk, Regtech, BCBS
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.

Patrycja Oleksza
Applies proficiency and knowledge to regulatory capital and reporting analysis and coordinates business and product strategies in the banking technology area
Previous Article
FDIC Notice on Renewal of Collection on Regulatory Capital RulesRelated 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.