In advance of a meeting set for February 17 through 18, 2022, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a letter from their chair, Klass Knot, to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. The letter details the work the FSB is doing this year to promote sustainable growth and global financial resilience in response to continuing COVID-19 issues such as uneven recovery across regions, inflation and record-high global debt levels. The FSB credits “determined” policy response and G20 post-2008 crisis reforms for current recovery successes which include bank and market infrastructure resilience.

These successes do not come without their challenges as the financial market is still dealing with COVID-19 fallout and trying to acclimate to what a post-pandemic market may reveal, including its effect on interest rates and asset prices, and vulnerabilities created by digital innovation. The FSB letter laid out the policy work planned for 2022 in response to efforts necessary for the market to transition to post-pandemic life, which include:

• “Supporting financial market adjustment to a post-COVID world including work on policy considerations to support a more even, sustainable and inclusive global recovery, and on effective financial sector practices for national authorities to consider for addressing the effects of COVID-19 scarring.
• Reinforcing financial system resilience in light of the COVID experience focusing on the FSB’s work to strengthen resilience in the non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector through its NBFI work programme, including policy proposals to address systemic risk in NBFI.
• Harnessing the benefits of digitalisation while containing its risks including implementing the G20 Cross-Border Payments Roadmap and its associated quantitative targets; work to address the financial risks posed by crypto-assets; and developing best practices for regulatory reporting of cyber incidents.
• Addressing financial risks from climate change. Work here will focus on progressing the FSB’s roadmap for addressing climate-related financial risks.”

More information on FSB letter to the G20 and Central Bank Governors is available here.