The Financial System Stability Assessment of Mauritius assesses the standards and codes and the potential risks and vulnerabilities of the financial system. It summarizes the assessments of the standards and codes on the Basel Core Principles for effective banking supervision, systemically...

The Nigerian financial system underwent a banking crisis in 2008–09, owing to the global financial crisis and domestic events. The decisive crisis response effectively stabilized the banking system, but the challenge now is to devise a credible exit strategy. The Central Bank of Nigeria...

One plausible mechanism through which financial market shocks may propagate across countries is through the effect of past gains and losses on investors'' risk aversion. We first present a simple model on how heterogeneous changes in investors'' risk aversion affect portfolio decisions and stock...

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...

The program was successful in strengthening the economy and stabilizing market conditions, although part of the fiscal achievements were reversed after the program lapsed. The 2008 Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with Hungary successfully stabilized financial market conditions and strengthened the...

This 2008 Article IV Consultation highlights that South Africa’s economic performance has strengthened in the last several years, with real GDP growing by 5–5½ percent in 2005–07, inflation declining to mid-single digits until recently, and employment growing steadily....

The economic and financial pressures facing Ireland are intense. The banking sector is at the fulcrum of Ireland’s problems. The program, therefore, aims to restore the banking system. It will address structural problems and restore confidence. A leaner and more robust banking sector is...

This paper discusses a request from the Republic of Latvia for a Stand-By Arrangement. The Latvian authorities are launching a decisive economic reform program and are seeking substantial international financial assistance to quell the crisis. With international reserves falling precipitously...

This paper provides the most comprehensive empirical study of the effectiveness of macroprudential instruments to date. Using data from 49 countries, the paper evaluates the effectiveness of macroprudential instruments in reducing systemic risk over time and across institutions and markets. The...

In today's financial system, complex financial institutions are connected through an opaque network of financial exposures. These connections contribute to financial deepening and greater savings allocation efficiency, but are also unstable channels of contagion. Basel III and Solvency II should...