Due to a historical lack of attention to the importance of modelling, measuring and managing risk, senior bank leaders are struggling to implement unified practices within their financial institutions that could address the gaps posed by risky management behaviour, rogue trading, liquidity crises, prohibited investments in mortgage-backed securities, and default risks aligned with loans. This book discusses the theories at play between bank agents (bank managers) and their principals (shareholders), a topic which has gained importance as a result of the banking crisis, and similarly, governed the need for more efficient risk management and ethical managerial practices. The author worked with a senior bank leadership team to identify and describe effective capital regulation practices that can lead to a reduction in loss and risky management behavioural practices. The book offers consensus on a number of activities that bank managers can implement to address bank risk. It analyses the relevant factors that determine the necessity for banking regulation and the important role of regulation in managing banking crises. The author’s analysis of the important regulatory aspects in developed countries such as the US, offers a useful conceptual framework for creating an adequate banking regulatory environment in developing countries. This book offers an original contribution to the field of banking that undergraduate, masters, PhD students, academics and researchers can use to gain a deeper understanding of the constructs at play in the banking industry.

A deeper examination of Basel III for more effective capital enhancement The Handbook of Basel III Capital – Enhancing Bank Capital in Practice delves deep into the principles underpinning the capital dimension of Basel III to provide a more advanced understanding of real-world implementation. Going beyond the simple overview or model, this book merges theory with practice to help practitioners work more effectively within the regulatory framework, and utilise the complex rules to more effectively allocate and enhance capital. A European perspective covers the CRD IV directive and associated guidance, but practitioners across all jurisdictions will find value in the strategic approach to decisions surrounding business lines and assets; an emphasis on analysis urges banks to shed unattractive positions and channel capital toward opportunities that actually fit their risk and return profile. Real-world cases demonstrate successful capital initiatives as models for implementation, and in-depth guidance on Basel III rules equips practitioners to more effectively utilise this complex regulatory treatment. The specifics of Basel III implementation vary, but the underlying principles are effective around the world. This book expands upon existing guidance to provide a deeper working knowledge of Basel III utility, and the insight to use it effectively. Improve asset quality and risk and return profiles Adopt a strategic approach to capital allocation Compare Basel III implementation varies across jurisdictions Examine successful capital enhancement initiatives from around the world There is a popular misconception about Basel III being extremely conservative and a deterrent to investors seeking attractive returns. In reality, Basel III presents both the opportunity and a framework for banks to improve their assets and enhance overall capital – the key factor is a true, comprehensive understanding of the regulatory mechanisms. The Handbook of Basel III Capital – Enhancing Bank Capital in Practice provides advanced guidance for advanced practitioners, and real-world implementation insight.

The turmoil in financial markets that resulted from the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis in the United States indicates the need to dramatically transform regulation and supervision of financial institutions. Would these institutions have been sounder if the 2004 Revised Framework on International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards (Basel II accord)—negotiated between 1999 and 2004—had already been fully implemented? Basel II represents a dramatic change in capital regulation of large banks in the countries represented on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision: Its internal ratings–based approaches to capital regulation will allow large banks to use their own credit risk models to set minimum capital requirements. The Basel Committee itself implicitly acknowledged in spring 2008 that the revised framework would not have been adequate to contain the risks exposed by the subprime crisis and needed strengthening. This crisis has highlighted two more basic questions about Basel II: One, is the method of capital regulation incorporated in the revised framework fundamentally misguided? Two, even if the basic Basel II approach has promise as a paradigm for domestic regulation, is the effort at extensive international harmonization of capital rules and supervisory practice useful and appropriate? This book provides the answers. It evaluates Basel II as a bank regulatory paradigm and as an international arrangement, considers some possible alternatives, and recommends significant changes in the arrangement.

The paper provides an overview of the profound and rapid changes in banking brought about by technology and deregulation, and discusses the hurdles that will have to be negotiated for putting in place the three pillars-capital adequacy rules, supervision, and market discipline-of the bank regulatory framework envisioned by the New Basel Accord (Basel II). It argues that, especially for developing countries, finding the right balance between regulation, supervision, and market discipline is likely to be difficult. Considerable technical expertise as well as political discipline-which can be viewed as a fourth pillar-will be required to implement Basel II.

Operational Risk Management in Banks and Idiosyncratic Loss Theory: A Leadership Perspective offers consensus considerations that could bolster effective risk management practices in enterprise-wide risk, thereby helping to control fraud and go beyond the minimum risk assessment requirements set forth by the banking regulators.

US and global banking regulators have enforced compliance laws to minimise money laundering, terrorist funding, human trafficking, fraudulent banking activities, and bad mortgage loans that expose banks to significant risks and losses. Author Sophia Beckett Velez offers an original contribution to the field of banking.

Over the last three decades, inflation targeting (IT) has become the most popular monetary policy framework among larger economies. At the same time, its constituting features leave room for different interpretations, translating into various central banks’ institutional set-ups. Against this backdrop, this book investigates the importance of institutional arrangements for policy outcomes. In particular, the book answers the question of whether there are significant differences in IT central banks’ institutional set-ups, and—if yes—whether they influence the ability of monetary authorities to meet their policy goals. The book examines around 70 aspects related to independence, accountability and transparency of 42 IT central banks over the last 30 years. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the quality of the institutional set-ups materially affects monetary policy effectiveness. In fact, a visible improvement of institutional arrangements resulting from pursuing an inflation targeting strategy can be treated as its lasting contribution to central banking. Thus, despite the recent critique of the framework, its prospects continue to be rather favourable. Overall, for the advocates of inflation targeting, the findings of the book can be seen as identifying the sources of IT strengths, while for IT opponents, they may be viewed as indicating which elements of IT institutional set-ups should be kept even if the need to replace this strategy with another regime will, indeed, result in a change. Given the role monetary policy plays within the economy, such knowledge may have significant implications. Therefore, the book will be relevant for different audiences, including scholars and researchers of monetary economics and monetary policy, and will be essential reading for central banks already pursuing an IT strategy or those preparing to adopt one. Importantly, the book includes supplementary indices of proposed institutional arrangements that assess a range of aspects related to IT central bank’s independence, accountability, and transparency. Readers thus have access to the author’s full database, which covers individual indices for all monetary authorities investigated across the given period of analysis.