Guidance Note For Staff On Undertaking Targeted Risk Based Reports On The Observance Of Standards And Codes Roscs In Financial Regulation And Supervision

In September 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) Boards approved changes to the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) to (i) make it more flexible and better-aligned with country needs as well as IMF and WB financial sector priorities and core responsibilities; (ii) enhance the quality, candor, and comparability of assessments; and (iii) better-integrate FSAP analysis into the institutions’ evolving mandates.

The Standards and Codes Initiative (“Initiative”) has been identified as one of several building blocks for the overhaul of the global financial architecture after the Asian crisis in the late 1990s. Twelve policy areas were selected as key for sound financial systems and a framework for Reports on the Observance of Standard and Codes (ROSCs) was established and has been implemented by the Bank and the Fund for about a decade. Since the Initiative’s inception, a majority of member countries have had one or more ROSCs, although—in part due to the voluntary nature of ROSCs—the coverage is not fully complete. After peaking in 2003, the annual number of ROSCs completed has declined considerably. In particular, the number of fiscal transparency and data ROSCs has dropped, reflecting the downsizing of the Fund, and changes in departmental priorities. The reduction in financial sector ROSCs—generally done as a part of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP)—has been less, although fewer ROSCs have been done per FSAP. Revisions to the standards to incorporate the lessons from the crisis, the initiatives of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), and changes to financial surveillance are likely to have important implications for the future of the Initiative. In particular, the commitment by FSB members to undergo FSAPs every 5 years and the FSB’s framework to enhance adherence to international financial standards are likely to boost demand for financial sector ROSCs. These resource pressures impose a greater burden on the prioritization process, and strategic decisions will have to be made to augment resources for the Initiative or on where the resource cuts could come from in order to maintain adequate coverage of non-G20 countries.

This paper presents an assessment IMF report on implementation of the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) principles in Canada. It highlights that developing an integrated and robust view of risks to support supervisory actions remains a key challenge. The IMF report suggests that the securities regulators should continue to take steps to ensure timely decision making in policy formulation. However, the current governance arrangements, based on a consensus building approach across several entities, is expected to affect timeliness of decision making.

The financial sector in Liechtenstein provides primarily wealth-management services, including banking, trust, other fiduciary services, investment management, and life insurance. The establishment of the Financial Market Authority (FMA) as the unified, independent regulator in January 2005 is a huge step for the financial services industry. The FMA and other authorities have been successful in implementing most of the recommendations provided in the earlier 2002 IMF assessment. The authorities and the industry continue to make significant efforts to strengthen the antimoney laundering regime, though there is still work ahead.

Much progress has been achieved in strengthening Iceland’s banking regulatory and supervisory framework since the IMF’s prior BCP assessment was undertaken in 2014. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (Iceland) (MoFEA) together with the Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) undertook a thorough legislative reform agenda which included the transposition of the EU legislative framework and EBA guidelines into Icelandic banking law, enacted a new law for banking resolution as well as established the Resolution Authority within CBI, and adopted new liquidity requirements (Basel III). Further, CBI fully implemented its risk based supervisory framework, adopting supervisory methodology that focuses on high-impact financial institutions, ensuring deep analysis by off-site supervisors on capital, liquidity, business model analysis, as well as governance and internal controls. CBI, together with other relevant agencies, also developed and implemented a new AML/CFT legislative and supervisory framework for banks (applicable to all regulatory institutions that CBI now regulates since the merger with the FSA).

A detailed assessment report on the observance of China’s compliance of Basel Core Principles for effective banking supervision is presented. Regulation and supervision of China’s banking system has made impressive progress in the past few years, led by an activist, forward-looking regulator, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, with a clear safety and soundness mandate that has been supported by banks and by the State. The macroeconomic environment is characterized by rapid growth, with concerns about overheating and asset price overvaluation.

The financial services sector plays a dominant role in the economy of Guernsey. The report is organized in two volumes. Volume I provides the findings and the Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSCs). Volume II provides the detailed assessments of the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision, the insurance core principles, the objectives and principles of securities regulation, and the financial action task force recommendations, as well as a review against the Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors (OGBS) statement of best practice for trust and company service providers.

This paper presents an assessment of the level of observance of the Insurance Core Principles (ICPs) in China. Overall, the Chinese regulatory system is assessed to have a good level of compliance with the ICPs. The regulatory framework includes, in addition to the solvency standards, extensive requirements on corporate governance, risk management and internal controls as well as on reinsurance, disclosure and conduct of business. All these requirements are applied appropriately to the significant number of large insurance groups, which together account for the bulk of premium income. However, there is scope for further development of crisis preparedness and market conduct work.