The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a report on the status of financial authorities’ initiatives related to the identification and assessment of nature-related financial risks. It outlines current and future regulatory and supervisory initiatives. The report will be delivered to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors at their upcoming meeting in Rio De Janeiro. It discusses how nature degradation is a financial risk and how authorities across different jurisdictions are responding. The report shows that financial regulators are at different stages of evaluating nature-related financial risks. Many have concluded that there is a significant financial risk while others continue to monitor the situation.

Financial regulators that have analyzed the situation categorize climate-related financial risks into two categories: physical and transition risks. Their work shows that financing activities and investments have significant exposure to physical risk of climate-related incidents.  While there is currently no standardized approach across jurisdictions there is a general recognition that more expertise is needed. This includes an increased level of expertise across the supervisory authorities, central banks and the private sector to address these issues and improve the data, modeling and regulatory challenges.

Click here to read the full report.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a consultation report on liquidity preparedness for margin and collateral calls. The report sets out eight proposed policy recommendations to enhance the liquidity preparedness of non-bank market participants for margin and collateral calls in centrally and non-centrally cleared derivatives and securities markets (including securities financing such as repo).

In particular the report:

• Identifies weaknesses in risk management and governance as key causes of inadequate liquidity preparedness by some non-bank market participants during recent incidents of liquidity stress in financial markets.
• Proposes eight policy recommendations focused on managing and mitigating the impact of spikes in margin and collateral calls in the non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector.
• Makes proposed recommendations cover liquidity risk management and governance, stress testing and scenario design, and collateral management practices of non-bank financial institutions.

The report highlights the need for policy adjustments to deal with liquidity strains in the NBFI sector arising from spikes in margin and collateral calls during times of market stress, such as the March 2020 market turmoil, Archegos, and the commodities markets turmoil and stress in liability-driven investment funds in 2022. To achieve this, the FSB is proposing eight high-level and cross-sectoral policy recommendations that build on and complement existing rules and regulations on liquidity risk management across different sectors and jurisdictions.

The recommendations cover liquidity risk management and governance, stress testing and scenario design, and collateral management practices of non-bank market participants, focussing on liquidity risks arising from spikes in margin and collateral calls. They apply to non-bank market participants that may face margin and collateral calls, including insurance companies, pension funds, hedge funds, other investment funds and family offices. They are proposed to apply proportionately with a focus on non-bank market participants with material exposures to spikes in margin and collateral calls during times of stress. The report also highlights the need for financial intermediaries in bilateral transactions with non-financial entities, such as commodities traders, to consider assessing their liquidity preparedness for spikes in margin calls and collateral during times of stress.

A copy of the consultation can be viewed here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) Regional Consultative Group (RCG) for Europe met in London to discuss global an regional macroeconomic developments and their implications for financial stability.  In particular they discussed the macro-financial environment that continues to be shaped by the adjustment of the global economy to high interest rates, while geopolitical factors are weighing on the outlook.

The group noted that despite tight financing conditions and subdued confidence, growth in the region is projected to gradually pick up, amid a recovery in real incomes. In global financial markets, certain asset valuations remain stretched and vulnerable to adjustment in the face of adverse shocks. Members discussed sectors which warranted close monitoring, specifically the outlook for – and risks associated with – commercial real estate markets, which have been undergoing a substantial adjustment recently, due to both cyclical and structural shocks.

Members received an update on the FSB’s work priorities for 2024, including its deliverables under Brazil’s G20 Presidency. The effective implementation of its global regulatory and supervisory framework for crypto-asset activities and markets is a key focus for the FSB. Members shared their experiences in addressing regulatory challenges stemming from the cross-border and cross-sectoral nature of crypto-asset activities. They also exchanged views on preparations for new crypto-asset regulations entering into force, such as the Regulation on Markets in Crypto-assets (MiCA) in the European Union and the proposed regulatory regime for crypto-assets in the United Kingdom.

The Brazilian G20 Presidency has asked the FSB to take stock of new developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and their potential implications for financial stability. The day before the meeting, the RCG held a seminar with invited guests from academia and industry on AI and its role in the financial system. The discussion focused on developments in AI, use cases in the financial sector, and implications for financial stability.

A copy of the release can be viewed here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a letter from its Chair, Klaas Knot, to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, ahead of the G20 meeting on 28-29 February.

Highlights of the letter are as follows:

• FSB Chair warns of challenging outlook to global financial stability including debt servicing burdens, stretched asset valuations in some key markets, and leverage and liquidity mismatch in non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI).
• Chair submits FSB’s revised policy recommendations to address vulnerabilities arising from liquidity mismatch in OEFs and calls on G20 members to implement them as quickly as feasible.
• Letter outlines key issues the FSB is working on in 2024, including lessons from the March 2023 banking turmoil, NBFI, climate change, digitalisation and enhancing the efficiency of cross-border payments.

In his letter, he warns of the challenging outlook for global financial stability, despite steady economic growth and signs of easing global financial conditions. Debt service challenges could increase, and exposures to sectors facing existing headwinds, like commercial real estate, bear close monitoring. Asset valuations are also stretched in some key markets. Abrupt shifts in market pricing could expose vulnerabilities in the financial system, including those related to leverage and liquidity mismatch in NBFI.

The letter lays out the FSB’s work during 2024 to monitor and address financial system vulnerabilities.

The FSB also noted that it is working to ensure the effective implementation of the international framework provided by the FSB Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes, address the financial stability risks stemming from leverage in NBFI, and analyze the financial stability implications of tokenisation and artificial intelligence. To address growing financial stability risks from cyber incidents, the FSB is designing a format for incident reporting exchange (FIRE) for public consultation.

Finally, the FSB notes that it continues to coordinate international work through the FSB Roadmap to address financial risks from climate change, the G20 Roadmap for enhancing cross-border payments and the G20 Roadmap on crypto-assets. At the request of the Brazilian G20 Presidency, the FSB will also deliver a stocktake on regulatory and supervisory initiatives related to the identification and assessment of nature-related financial risks to the G20 July meeting.

A copy of the release can be viewed here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its work programme for 2024. Priority areas of work and new initiatives, including deliverables to the Brazilian G20 Presidency, include:

• Supporting global cooperation on financial stability.The FSB continues to promote financial stability in a rapidly changing environment, in which vulnerabilities in the global financial system continue to be elevated, reflecting high interest rates and an uncertain growth outlook, while vulnerabilities from structural change continue to emerge in areas such as climate change, cyber, and crypto-asset markets.
• Completing resolution reforms. The FSB will continue its work to promote the full implementation of the Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions across all sectors. The focus will be to address the lessons learned from the March 2023 banking turmoil, including work on deposit behaviour and the role of technology and social media; and on interest rate and liquidity risk in the financial system. In 2024, the FSB will also finalise its proposals for a set of resources and tools to support the resolution of a central counterparty(CCP) and publish the list of insurers subject to the resolution planning standards.
• Enhancing the resilience of NBFI.The FSB will continue to advance its work programme for enhancing NBFI resilience, which it is carrying out together with the standard-setting bodies and international organisations. This includes exploring policy recommendations or policy options for non-bank financial leverage; enhancing liquidity preparedness of non-bank market participants for margin and collateral calls; and conducting new work on the functioning and resilience of repo markets.
• Enhancing cross-border payments.The G20 roadmap for enhancing cross-border payments co-ordinated by the FSB, contains a comprehensive set of actions  and a framework for monitoring progress toward achieving the quantitative targets that have been set for end-2027. As part of this, in 2024, the FSB will issue recommendations to promote alignment and interoperability in data frameworks related to cross-border payments and develop recommendations to strengthen the consistency of regulation and supervision of banks and non-banks providing cross-border payment services.
• Harnessing the benefits of digital innovation while containing its risks. A key focus for 2024 and beyond is on ensuring the effective implementation of the agreed global regulatory and supervisory framework for crypto-asset activities and markets and for global stablecoin arrangements. The FSB will also complete work on the financial stability implications of tokenisation; prepare a report for the G20 on recent developments in AI and their potential implications for financial stability; and, in its efforts to enhance cyber resilience, design a format for incident reporting exchange(FIRE) to promote greater convergence in financial institutions’ reporting of incidents to financial authorities.
• Addressing financial risks from climate change.The FSB will continue to coordinate international work through its roadmap for addressing climate-related financial risks. Work this year will include analysis of the relevance of transition plans for financial stability and, for the G20, a stocktake of regulatory and supervisory initiatives related to the identification and assessment of nature-related financial risks. The FSB will also prepare a further progress report on achieving consistent climate-related financial disclosures.

A copy of the programme can be viewed here.

WOCCU advocated proportionality was included in the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Toolkit for Enhancing Third-party Risk Management and Oversight.  The proportionality language makes it clear that many of the tools are unsuitable for smaller financial institutions and calls for the tailoring of the rules. 

This comes on the release by the FSB of the toolkit for financial authorities and financial institutions for their third-party risk management and oversight. The toolkit was developed in response to concerns over the extent and nature of financial institutions’ interactions with a broad and diverse ecosystem of third-party service providers, which could have implications for financial stability. Namely:

•  The toolkit was developed in response to concerns over the risks to financial institutions from outsourcing and third-party service relationships.
• The toolkit aims to strengthen financial institutions’ ability to manage third-party risks and financial authorities’ ability to monitor and strengthen the resilience of the financial system.
• The toolkit aims to reduce fragmentation in regulatory and supervisory approaches across jurisdictions and financial services sectors and to facilitate coordination among financial authorities, financial institutions, and third-party services providers.

WOCCU participated in various consultations by the FSB including commenting on the consultation paper back in 2022. 

A copy of the toolkit can be viewed here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) recently published a report on the financial stability implications of multifunction crypto-asset intermediaries (MCIs). MCIs are individual firms or groups of affiliated firms that provide crypto-asset services, products and functions usually around a trading platform. In many cases MCI vulnerabilities are similar to those of traditional finance. However, these vulnerabilities can be amplified by limited controls and operational transparency. MCI vulnerabilities could impact traditional financial systems through transmission channels.

FSB will be monitoring the development of MCIs and the crypto-asset sector as a whole to determine the financial stability implications on the broader economy. Comprehensive and consistent regulations to the crypto-asset market will be critical to minimizing the vulnerabilities and impact on the overall financial stability of the market.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has published its annual progress report on climate-related disclosures. The report indicates further development regarding climate disclosures over the last year. International regulatory bodies are focused on creating comparable public disclosures of climate-related financial risks to use in the analysis of vulnerabilities in the financial system.

In the report, the FSB welcomed the International Sustainability Board (ISSB) disclosure standards and plans to work with other relevant bodies to promote them. The ISSB standards will serve as a framework for different companies across the globe to provide climate related disclosures consistently. Implementation and the applicability of ISSB standards with individual jurisdictional disclosure frameworks is valuable to regulatory bodies to compare climate-related disclosures from companies in different countries.

Additionally, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) are making significant progress in their efforts to produce a global set of assurance, ethics, and independence standards. This set of standards is intended to improve the quality and reliability of sustainability-related information through third-party assurance. Compliance and enforcement of these standards could deter “greenwashing”.

Also of note, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) released its final status report and will be disbanded now that it has completed its final initiative. TCFD was created by the FSB and made up of industry representatives. It created a set of voluntary disclosure recommendations for use by companies to provide information to investors, lenders, and insurance underwriters about their climate-related financial risks.

The report indicates that progress continues as all FSB jurisdictions either have requirements, guidance, or proposals pending related to climate disclosures.

World Council continues to advocate for proportionality where appropriate and monitor developing disclosure requirements closely. Click here to access the FSB press release and related reports.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its stocktake of international data standards relevant to cross-border payments. The stocktake looks at national and regional data frameworks relevant to the functioning, regulation and supervision of cross-border payment arrangements. It takes forward one of the priority actions under the G20 Cross-border Payments Roadmap, to enhance the interaction between data frameworks and cross-border payments. The report:

• Identifies frictions that pose challenges to improving the cost, speed, transparency and access of cross-border payments;
• Highlights fragmentation in data frameworks as a main contributor to increased cost and inability to automate cross-border payments;
• Notes that by early 2024, the FSB will develop recommendations, for public consultation, for promoting alignment and interoperability across data frameworks applicable to cross-border payments.

The stocktake was conducted to identify issues relating to cross-border use of data by national authorities and by the private sector in cross-border payment arrangements. The report identifies a number of frictions from data frameworks that pose significant challenges to improving the cost, speed, transparency and access of cross-border payments. These include uncertainty among payment providers on how to balance the various obligations under different data frameworks, such as obligations related to data privacy and to anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); and challenges arising from restrictions on the flow of data across borders, which could make it more difficult to identify fraud, comply with AML/CFT and other regulatory obligations, as well as manage risk on an enterprise-wide basis. A certain degree of friction from data frameworks may be an unavoidable and acceptable consequence of regulations aimed at preserving the security of transactions, meeting AML/CFT objectives and protecting the privacy of citizens. However, the extent of fragmentation in data frameworks across jurisdictions was considered a main contributor to increased cost and inability to automate payments.

Work is already underway in the FSB to follow-up on this stocktake and address these issues. In particular, the FSB is developing recommendations to promote alignment and interoperability across data frameworks applicable to cross-border payments. To inform its work, the FSB will engage with industry, data privacy experts, financial regulators and data protection agencies to develop case studies to assess the impact of selected frictions on cross-border payments and identify where action should be prioritised.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) today published two letters from its Chair, Klaas Knot, to G20 Leaders ahead of their Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September, noting the following key points:

• FSB Chair warns that the higher interest rates that have been necessary to address inflation, alongside a slowing growth outlook, could impair the capacity of borrowers to service historically high levels of debt.
• Work to address financial stability risks associated with leverage in the non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector will be a major focus of FSB policy work in 2024.
• A separate letter calls for continued support from Leaders as work to enhance cross-border payments shifts towards implementing practical projects in partnership with the private sector.

The first letter outlines the work the FSB has undertaken under the Leadership of India’s G20 Presidency to address existing vulnerabilities in the financial system and enhance the resilience of the financial system to structural change.

The letter notes the challenging backdrop of strong and persistent inflation and slowing growth, and warns that rising interest rates could impair the capacity of borrowers to service the historically high stock of global debt. He calls on authorities to closely monitor asset quality in those sectors most sensitive to higher interest rates, such as real estate. The letter highlights concerns over the build-up of leverage in the NBFI sector, described in a report being delivered to the Summit, and notes that addressing these risks will be a major focus of NBFI policy work next year.

The March banking-sector turmoil constituted a test of the financial reforms put in place following the 2008 crisis. It exposed vulnerabilities in individual institutions relating to poor liquidity and interest rate risk management and governance, and reinforced the need for strong and effective supervision and The FSB and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) are examining the implications of these issues to identify lessons and adjust policy frameworks where needed. The FSB remains convinced that the international resolution framework developed by the FSB in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis is fit for purpose, but we have identified a number of implementation challenges that need to be addressed. To this end, the FSB will soon publish a report on preliminary lessons learned for resolution and policy priorities going forward.

The letter outlines the FSB’s work to address the financial stability implications of two secular trends – digitalisation and climate change. In response to the former, the FSB delivered to the G20 in July a set of recommendations for the regulation, supervision and oversight both of crypto-assets and markets and of global stablecoin arrangements. The FSB is now working with standard-setting bodies and international organisations to ensure that these recommendations are implemented globally. Recognising that crypto-assets raise both financial stability and macroeconomic risks, the FSB and IMF are delivering to the Summit a Synthesis Paper that brings together the risks identified by each institution and how they interact. The paper also includes a roadmap for future work.

Accelerating digitalisation across the financial system has improved efficiencies but also raised operational resilience challenges. For instance, the interconnectedness of the global financial system makes it possible that an incident at one financial institution, or at one of its third-party service providers, could have spill-over effects across borders and sectors. To address these risks the FSB issued in April recommendations to achieve greater convergence in cyber incident reporting frameworks. The FSB has also consulted on a policy toolkit that financial institutions and financial authorities can use to enhance their third-party risk management and oversight. The toolkit will be finalised in December.

In response to climate risks, the FSB is coordinating closely with standard-setting bodies and international organisations to implement the four building blocks of its Roadmap on Climate-related Financial Risks. An important milestone has been the publication of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s disclosure standards, which have been endorsed by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The ISSB standards will strengthen the comparability, consistency and decision-usefulness of climate-related financial disclosures around the world. These standards can be seen as a culmination of the work of the FSB’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which has made a major global contribution since its creation in 2015.

A second letter provides to G20 Leaders an update on the G20 Cross-border Payments Roadmap. The first phase – the initial set of actions set out in the 2020 Roadmap – has now largely been completed. This year, in the second phase, the authorities and standard setters have focused their efforts on concrete projects that will make a difference across various parts of the cross-border landscape and on developing further the partnership with the private sector to work to achieve the Roadmap goals. The letter underscores the need for continued further political support and sustained effort by the public and private sectors in order to meet the G20 targets by 2027 to make cross-border payments cheaper, faster, more inclusive and more transparent. Leadership from the G20 has energised the public and private sectors and provided the political impetus, without which change will not happen.

A copy of the press release can be viewed here.

On June 26, 2023, the inaugural IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards were released. Specifically, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) issued IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information and IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures; and in response, the IFRS has updated its Educational Material: Effects of Climate-Related Matters on Financial Statements. The educational material helps companies comprehend how to report on “material” climate-related matters in their financial statements. While the IFRS Accounting standards (developed by the IASB), do not clearly refer to climate-related matters, consideration of material climate-related matters is required by the IASB’s standards. The IASB is also working on a project on Climate-Related Risks in Financial Statements, to improve upon a financial statements’ ability to convey climate-related risks. The IASB is also considering whether to include “sustainability-related risks and opportunities beyond those related to climate.”

On July 13, 2023, in response to the finalization of the International Sustainability Standards Board's (ISSB) global sustainability disclosure standards, the Financial Stability Board released its annual progress report on the FSB Roadmap for Addressing Climate-Related Financial Risks, which outlines advancements achieved in support of the roadmap that were made not only by the FSB, but also standard-setting bodies and other international organizations. The progress report further highlights areas that need additional consideration, as well as updates on Roadmap action items. On July 17-18 in a meeting in Gandhinagar, India, the progress report will be delivered to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors for review.

The FSB has made it clear it is in support of the ISSB's final standards. Finalization has prompted a handover in the responsibility to monitor progress made with firm disclosures. Monitoring responsibilities will shift from the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which was created by the FSB to develop recommendations on effective disclosures, to the ISSB in 2024. According to the FSB, there is progress in all four blocks of the Roadmap, including firm-level disclosures, data, vulnerabilities analysis, and regulatory and supervisory practices and tools.

More information on the FSB’s work on addressing climate-related financial risks is available here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published for public consultation a toolkit for financial authorities and financial institutions as well as service providers for their third-party risk management and oversight.

The toolkit was developed against a backdrop of digitalisation of the financial services sector and growing reliance of financial institutions on third-party service providers for a range of services, some of which support their critical operations. These dependencies can bring many benefits to financial institutions including flexibility, innovation and improved operational resilience. However, if not properly managed, disruption to critical services or service providers could pose risks to financial institutions and, in some cases, financial stability.

The primary emphasis of the toolkit is on critical services given the potential impact of their disruption on financial institutions’ critical operations and financial stability. In light of changing industry practices and recent regulatory and supervisory approaches to operational resilience, the toolkit takes a holistic view of third-party risk management, which is wider than the historical focus on outsourcing. The principle of proportionality is applicable throughout the toolkit, allowing the tools to be adapted to smaller, less complex institutions or to intra-group third-party service relationships.

The toolkit aims to:

• Reduce fragmentation in regulatory and supervisory approaches to financial institutions’ third-party risk management across jurisdictions and different areas of the financial services sector;
• Strengthen financial institutions’ ability to manage third-party risks and financial authorities’ ability to monitor and strengthen the resilience of the financial system; and
• Facilitate coordination among relevant stakeholders (i.e. financial authorities, financial institutions and third-party service providers).

The Financial Stability Board issued its report setting out 16 recommendations to address these issues with a view to promote best practices in cyber incident reporting. Included in the Recommendations to Achieve Greater Convergence in Cyber Incident Reporting, were several recommendations made by World Council including proportionality language to help smaller community based financial institutions and language surrounding feedback loops to assist credit unions in defending themselves against cyber-attacks.

The report draws from the FSB’s body of work on cyber, including engagement with external stakeholders, the report identifies commonalities and details practical issues associated with the collection of cyber incident information from FIs and the onward sharing between financial authorities. These practical issues include:

1. operational challenges arising from the process of reporting to multiple authorities;
2. setting appropriate and consistent qualitative and quantitative criteria/thresholds for reporting;

• establishing an appropriate culture to report incidents in a timely manner;

1. inconsistent definitions and taxonomy related to cyber security;
2. establishing a secure mechanism to communicate on cyber incidents; and
3. legal or confidentiality constraints in sharing information with authorities across borders and sectors.

A copy of the report can be viewed here.

On February 23, 2023, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) released its G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, Priority actions for achieving the G20 targets, which was provided to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors ahead of their meeting that took place on February 24-25^th. The report outlines analysis and stocktakes (including stockholder feedback) garnered over the first two years following its endorsement of its Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, released in 2020. In addition to highlighting its priority actions for attaining G20 targets, the report details actions to meet the quantitative targets by 2027 to “provide accountability and ambition”. To address the FSB’s priorities, it will work with the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) under two industry taskforces; and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank will give technical assistance to jurisdictions outside of the G20’s purview.

The next phase of the FSB’s work on enhancing cross-border payments will consist of three priority themes:

• Payment system interoperability and extension. Actions include the extension of RTGS operation hours, interlinking payment systems, creating a forum for central banks to exchange practices, and finalizing requirements for cross-border payment service level agreements.
• Legal, regulatory and supervisory finalizing frameworks. Actions include promoting efficient legal, regulatory and supervisory environment for cross-border payments, improving consistency of bank and non-bank regulation and supervision, enhancing information provided to end-users, and updating the application of AML/CFT rules.
• Cross-border data exchange and message standards. Actions include facilitating cross-border data exchange and standardizing messaging formats, enhancing interaction between data frameworks and cross-border payments, improving API coordination, and exploring enhanced use of the legal entity identifier (LEI).

More information on the FSB’s its G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, Priority actions for achieving the G20 targets is available here.

On February 20, 2023, in advance of the G20 meeting on February 24-25, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) released its letter from Chair, Klaas Knot to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors outlining its 2023 work including its objective “to monitor and address these vulnerabilities”. The letter also includes three reports covering non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI), crypto-assets and decentralized finance, and cross border payments. The FSB believes caution should be exercised when evaluating the current global economy due to “record-high” debt levels, “rising debt service costs and stretched asset valuations in some key markets". Further, the FSB plans to enhance cyber and operational resilience and will provide a revised report on cyber incident reporting. They will also work on enhancing disclosures, data and climate-related vulnerability analysis to address climate-related financial risks.

The key elements of the FSB's reports include:

• Non-bank financial intermediation: The Financial Stability Aspects of Commodity Markets report concentrates on vulnerabilities within the non-bank sector, specifically in the physical and derivatives commodities markets.
• Crypto-assets and decentralized finance: The report on The Financial Stability Risks of Decentralised Finance (DeFi) highlights vulnerabilities in DeFi systems and refers to policy recommendations to address the risks associated with DeFi, as well as data gaps for risk monitoring.
• Cross-border payments: The FSB will publish a report regarding the implementation of the G20 Roadmap to enhance cross-border payments. Two task forces will be formed “to strengthen private sector participation in taking the Roadmap forward.”

More information on the FSB’s work plans for 2023 are available here.

The World Council of Credit Unions urged the Financial Stability Board to consider the impact of it’s proposed revisions to international standards trying to achieve greater convergence in cyber incident reporting.  The comments came as part of the FSB’s consultation seeking to strengthen and harmonize frameworks surrounding operational resilience and the desire to increase efforts to reign in the effects of cyber incidents.

World Council agreed strongly with aspects of the consultation that are designed to get at the core roots and causes of cyber incidents.  It acknowledged that the findings of the FSB that cyber incidents are growing in frequency and sophistication and the risk of contagion across borders and sectors due to the growing interconnectedness of the financial system is likewise increasing.  It also noted that the FSB’s focus on increasing the sharing of timely and accurate information is well placed to create a system that is effective for incident response, recovery and promoting financial stability. 

World Council expressed concerns, however, that the solutions often called for expensive and extensive regulatory requirements that are not tailored to the size, risk, and complexity of credit unions, noting that credit unions rarely operate on a cross-border basis, are small in size as compared to large banks, and therefore pose little risk of contagion or “spill-over” effects on other countries.  World Council suggested that reporting be limited to simple, but actionable reporting and reporting that could be accomplished through established regulatory reporting without the need to create new bureaucracies.

The FSB is conducting this review at the request of the G20 and the ever increasing concern from regulators about the risk posed by cyber incidents.

A copy of the letter can be viewed here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) noted that the gradual withdrawal of relief measures granted during the COVID-19 crisis are best withdrawn gradually. This came as part of the FSB’s report to the G20 looking at financial policies in the wake of COVID-19 aimed at supporting equitable recovery and addressing the effects from scarring in the financial sector.

The report specifically notes the following:

FSB consulted on these measures where WOCCU noted in its comment letter that it is clear that national-level regulators should have the flexibility to have an orderly and gradual withdrawal of those COVID-19 related relief measures so as to not create unnecessary shocks to the balance sheets of credit unions. This is particularly prescient given the current global economy, increasing inflation, the effects from the conflict in Ukraine and many other localized events.

This guidance provides clear direction that national-level regulators can and should use flexibility in unwinding relief measures for credit unions.

On November 10, 2022, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its progress report on Enhancing the Resilience of Non-Bank Financial Intermediation (NBFI), which was provided to the G20, analyzing NBFI liquidity imbalances during times of financial market stress. The report includes policy proposals directed to issues of systemic risk, especially in light of stressors within the commodities and bond markets; as well as solutions of vulnerabilities identified in “money market funds, open-ended funds, margining practices, bond market liquidity, and cross-border USD funding in emerging market economies (EMEs).” The FSB plans to work with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to improve short-term funding markets, and any other work to develop the resilience of liquidity provision in core bond markets.

More information on the FSB's progress report to the G20 can be found here.

On October 13, 2022, the Financial Stability Board released two reports on climate-related risks that were provided to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors ahead of their October 12-13, 2022 meeting. The reports follow the FSB’s 2021 publication of its Roadmap for Addressing Climate-related Financial Risks, and consist of recommendations for supervisory and regulatory approaches to climate-related risks, and progress made to climate-related disclosures.

The FSB’s final report on Supervisory and Regulatory Approaches to Climate-Related Risks, address “approaches to monitor, manage and mitigate cross-sectoral and system-wide risks arising from climate change and to promote consistent approaches across sectors and jurisdictions”; and the Progress Report on Climate-Related Disclosures, assesses the progress made over the past year by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) on developing its global baseline climate reporting standard, as well as work by international standard setters (national and regional authorities), and by firms regarding sustainability reporting. The FSB’s goal is to strengthen disclosures so that they are consistent and effective. The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which was created by the FSB, also released a 2022 status report on "TCFD-aligned disclosures”.

The final report on Supervisory and Regulatory Approaches to Climate-Related Risks, highlights:

• Supervisory and regulatory reporting and collection of climate-related data from financial institutions.
• System-wide supervisory and regulatory approaches and the extent to which supervisory and regulatory tools and policies address climate-related risk.
• Early consideration of other potential macroprudential policies and tools.

The Progress Report on Climate-Related Disclosures, highlights:

• Progress made by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in developing its global baseline standard.
• Actions undertaken by jurisdictions to require or promote climate-related disclosures.
• Firms’ progress in making climate-related disclosures, as reported in the 2022 TCFD Status Report.

More information on the FSB’s reports on climate-related risks and climate-related disclosures is available here.

On October 10, 2022, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its Consolidated Progress Report for 2022 and Priorities for the Next Phase of Work, as a next phase for its work under the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments. The FSB wants to strengthen external engagement and partnership under the priorities, and plan to deliver both reports to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors ahead of their meeting in Washington, DC on October 12-13, 2022. While the work under the 2021 and 2022 Roadmaps was foundational, the current “Roadmap has now reached an inflection point and needs to move to practical initiatives to enhance payment arrangements”. The FSB will focus three priority themes: Payment system interoperability and extension; legal, regulatory and supervisory frameworks; and cross-border data exchange and message standards.

With a 2027 target date, the FSB joins the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI), and other partners to set priorities for cross-border payments that will have the most impact, thereby enhancing the cost, speed, access and transparency of cross-border payments. The FSB has planned a Cross-border Payments Summit that will take place this month with leaders from both private and public sectors participating.

More information on the FSB’s priorities for enhancing cross-border payments is available here.

In anticipation of G20 meeting on October 12-13, 2022, in Afghanistan, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) Chair, Klass Knot, drafted a letter to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors regarding challenges to global financial stability. Since the Chair’s previous letter on financial challenges that was released in July, financial conditions have intensified with inflation increasing, issues related commodity markets or hidden leverage growing, and other vulnerabilities contributing to a weakening economic outlook.

The letter maintains that the FSB will continue to work on addressing these issues including a November progress report on strengthening the resilience of non-bank financial intermediation. Other reports on a regulatory framework for crypto-assets, improving cross-border payments, cyber risks, and climate-related financial risks will be made available for the G20 meeting in Afghanistan. The letter also mentions work on “Interoperability between the common global baseline and national and regional jurisdiction-specific requirements”, in addition to a publication of an October 13 status report on the FSB’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures’ (TCFD) recommendations. The ISSB rely upon the TCFD's recommendations for its accounting standards, as well as by most FSB jurisdictions as a reference point. The letter also urges action by companies to improve disclosures related to climate-related financial risks.

On October 13, the FSB further plans to release two reports on climate-related financial risks. One report will involve the FSB's recommendations on supervisory and regulatory approaches to climate-related risks subject to stakeholder comments from a public consultation, and the second report will discuss useful and consistent climate-related disclosures.

More information on the FSB’s work on financial stability challenges and the Chair’s letter is available here.

WOCCU urged the Financial Stability Board to provide maximum flexibility to national level regulators in the withdrawal of relief measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The comments cam as part of the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) consultative report on the Exit strategies to support equitable recovery and address effects from COVID-19 scarring in the financial sector.

WOCCU noted their concern the impact and potential increase in institutional stress that a rapid withdrawal of relief will cause. Due to the consequences of the pandemic, characterized by high levels of unemployment, the deterioration of specific sectors of the economy and the loss of individual purchasing power, and the impact the war in Ukraine, inflation, rising gas prices, and other increasing costs, many financial entities may experience solvency, liquidity, and other problems in the short and medium term. Depending on the reality of each country and individual credit unions, a generalized deterioration in the quality of financial assets could generate a systemic contagion effect in the financial system of a country, or within the credit union sector.

WOCCU has long urged national-level regulators to work closely with credit unions on providing reasonable and attainable plans to restore norms that existed prior to the pandemic.  WOCCU will continue to work with international standard setters and national level regulators as the withdrawal of COVID-19 related relief measures are withdrawn.

A copy of the letter can be viewed here.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) issued its letter to the G20 which is meeting during a time of growing financial stability challenges.  The G20 will have its Leaders’ Summitt in Indonesia in November.

The letter flags that the combination of lower growth, rising inflation and tighter global financial conditions may crystallise pre-existing vulnerabilities in the global financial system or give rise to new ones. In particular: rising indebtedness across sovereigns, non-financial corporates and households; liquidity mismatches in non-bank financial intermediation; and tightening financial conditions affecting Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs). The letter stresses that with the exit from COVID-19 well underway, it is important to rebuild macroprudential policy space whenever national conditions allow.

The letter outlines risks from commodity markets and notes that the FSB is analysing financial issues in commodity markets and closely monitoring the possible spillovers from commodities markets into the broader global financial system, as part of its ongoing surveillance.

The letter provides an overview of two areas of the FSB’s work for which documents have been submitted to the G20: addressing scarring and exit strategies from COVID-19; and progress under the FSB’s climate roadmap. The letter also provides an update on the FSB’s work on crypto-assets, following the issuance of a public statement on this topic.

A copy of the letter can be viewed here.

The FSB issued the FSB Roadmap for Addressing Financial Risks from Climate Change: 2022 progress report noting that policy action to address such risks is more urgent than ever. The report notes the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate-related events, and the intense debate about current and future energy policies in many jurisdictions, highlights that financial risks related to climate change, including transition risks, are not just a long-term issue or tail event.

Effective action continues to rest on strong international coordination. The G20 has asked the FSB to deliver in July 2022 the first of its annual progress reports on the Roadmap. The report summaries the progress across all four blocks of the Roadmap:

• Firm-level disclosures
• Data
• Vulnerabilities analysis
• Regulatory and supervisory practices and tools

This progress report was prepared in consultation with standard-setting bodies and other relevant international bodies and serves as input into broader international policy considerations, such as at the G20, G7 and UN, as well as to the work under the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) roadmap on sustainable finance.

A copy of the report can be viewed here.