The 1988 Basel I Accord set the common requirements of bank capital to promote the soundness and stability of the international banking system. The agreement required banks to hold capital in proportion to their perceived credit risks, and this requirement may have caused a “credit crunch,”...

This paper presents the Third Progress report on Spain’s financial sector reform. Correction of Spain’s large external, fiscal, and financial imbalances is well underway, with policy actions at both the European and Spanish levels helping to ease market pressures over the last...

This paper discusses findings of Fourth Progress Report on Spain’s financial sector reform. Implementation of Spain’s financial sector program remains on track. Essentially all measures specified in the program have now been implemented, as envisaged under its front-loaded...

Latvia has rebounded from the crisis, after successfully undertaking a difficult adjustment program. The recovery has been well balanced between external and domestic demand. The labor market is improving but unemployment is still high. Past consolidation efforts have brought down the fiscal...

This financial stability assessment provides an update on the significant regulatory and supervisory developments in the banking and insurance sectors of Belgium since 2006. The Belgian financial system is relatively large with solid capital buffers on aggregate, and the 2008 global financial...

The Belgium Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) stress testing exercise examines a financial sector that remains in a state of transformation. Domestic economic challenges remain sources of continued uncertainty as the banking sector consolidates and reduces funding risks. Insurers face...

This article is a report of Spain’s progress in financial sector reforms. The key reforms in the financial sector have been either adopted or designed. The economy has risks at times as it takes up the challenges of correcting pre-crisis imbalances. The economy may face decline, but...

This report summarizes the findings of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) Update for Spain. Although there is a core of strong banks that are well managed and appear resilient to further shocks, vulnerabilities remain. Substantial progress has been made in reforming the former...

This 2012 Article IV Consultation reports that fiscal and monetary policies have adapted to the economic recovery in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The authorities have appropriately responded to the upswing in the cycle by gradually tightening fiscal policy and sterilizing excess bank liquidity....

The report analyses Spain’s financial sector reform program and throws light on the role that the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) played in supporting the restructuring and recapitalization of its financial sector. It stated that the two major areas that have been looked at...