The adverse impact of the crisis on Luxembourg’s growth outlook is partly mitigated by the authorities’ well-conceived fiscal policy response. The staff report for Luxembourg’s 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights economic developments and policies. It combines...

Although progress has been made in strengthening the Swiss economy, systemic risks posed by large banks as well as revisions to the macroprudential framework are still in train. The authorities welcomed the too-big-to-fail (TBTF) legislation and intervention of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) on...

This technical note discusses the banking system structure, performance, and medium-term challenges for Switzerland. The note discusses that the Swiss banking sector has been undergoing a substantial consolidation over the last 10 years, but retains a rich collection of institutional types...

Switzerland was hard hit by the global crisis; however, the 1.5 percent contraction in 2009 compares favorably with most industrial countries. This 2010 Article IV Consultation highlights that after a year-long decline in real GDP, the economy exited the recession in mid-2009. In response to the...

This Technical Note focuses on banking sector structure in Germany. Germany’s banking system comprises three “pillarsâ€â€”private commercial banks, public sector banks, and cooperative banks—distinguished by the ownership structure and business orientation. The German...

The staff report for the 2010 Article IV Consultation underlies a thorough and objective view of the macroeconomic situation in Luxembourg and the challenges the economy is facing. The country’s enviable position of public finances at the onset of the crisis provided the space to...

This paper presents Detailed Assessment of the United States’s observance of Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision. The U.S. financial system is large and highly diversified. At the end-2007, total U.S. financial assets amounted to almost four and a half times the size...

This paper discusses key findings of the two-year Stand-By-Arrangement for Ukraine under the Emergency Financing Mechanism. Output growth is turning negative on the back of a large terms-of-trade shock and the ongoing credit crunch. The deterioration of the economic and financial situation is...

Even though the global financial crisis hit Ukraine hard, the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) program managed to restore macroeconomic and financial stability. Executive Directors welcomed the new SBA aimed to consolidate public finances, restore banking system soundness, and develop a more robust...

This report focuses on the effectiveness of the Japanese Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) and the Bank of Japan in supervising and regulating the Japanese financial system during the March 2011 earthquake. The report also highlights Japan’s compliance with the Basel Core Principles...