Policies implemented over the last decade have strengthened economic fundamentals and brought macroeconomic stability. Major improvements in compliance with the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision and the implementation of International Organization of Securities Commission...

This paper presents Barbados’s Financial System Stability Assessment Update as part of the Financial Sector Assessment Program Update. The domestic banking sector appears sound and profitable and continues to dominate the financial system. The financial system has benefited from the strong...

The paper assesses the degree of banking competition and efficiency in Italy?over time as well as compared to that in other countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The paper finds competition in the Italian banking sector has intensified in loan and...

Guernsey is a leading international insurance center in Europe. Its economy purely depends on the performance of the financial sector. As per the 2003 assessment under the Offshore Financial Center (OFC) program, it is found that the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC)’s powers have...

The key findings of Mauritius’s Financial System Stability Assessment update are discussed. The Mauritian financial system has been resilient to recent economic shocks, and banks have adequate capital buffers against a range of shocks to their credit portfolios and liquidity positions....

This paper reviews the Financial System Stability Assessment Update on the Philippines. The assessment reveals that the banking sector has been strengthened considerably since the Asian crisis of the late 1990s and today appears generally resilient to a broad range of macroeconomic risks. The...

Indonesia recovered quickly after being hit hard by contagion from the global financial crisis. Banking fundamentals have improved, with most Indonesian banks reporting high capital, comfortable levels of liquidity, and solid profitability. Banks exhibit rising credit exposures to retail and...

This paper presents the Slovak Republic’s Financial System Stability Assessment Update including Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Banking Supervision and Insurance Regulation. Commercial banks are by far the dominant financial institutions, though nonbank financial...

After several years of transition, major weaknesses in the banking and enterprise sectors remain the root cause of low growth. A large share of nonperforming assets in the portfolio of large banks, stemming from losses in the enterprise sector, has been a key impediment to financial sector...