Appunto.... Basilea III vuole procede spedita
Basel passes milestone as banks warn over economy
Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:43pm IST
By Huw Jones
LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - Consultation on tough new global capital rules for banks closed on Friday to warnings from the sector that drumming up chunks of extra cash may come at the expense of jobs and growth.
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision proposed the new rules last December to increase the amount and quality of capital banks must hold by the end of 2012.
It implements a pledge from the Group of 20 leading countries, which wants to avoid tapping taxpayer money again to rescue banks when the next crisis hits.
Dubbed Basel III, the rules strengthen and widen the scope of the existing Basel II global accord, which policymakers say left banks with too little capital to survive the credit crunch.
"Most of what is proposed is sensible but our biggest concern is has anybody done the holistic analysis. If you look at parts of the proposals they put buffers on buffers," said Pat Newberry, a financal services expert at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
"There is a very serious risk the proposals overdo the requirements. That is a big macroeconomic gamble to take. Our view is there will be changes. Maybe 2012 is rather optimistic," Newberry said.
Credit Suisse has estimated that Basel will create an additional capital requirement of 139 billion euros in Europe alone. Basel will fix actual new levels of capital, liquidity and leverage ratios by the end of this year, a process that has prompted banks to put corporate activity on hold.
CHEEKINESS OF CROWDS
The Basel Committee may publish consultation feedback next week after a polarised debate between banks and regulators in past weeks that signals tough negotiations.
The blame game was illustrated in London this week when a top banker said Basel III is a flawed attempt to make the next crisis affordable and removes hundreds of billions of pounds from the British economy at a time when it needs it.
The banker said "political interference" set the fuse on the crisis through global imbalances and cheap money.
However, a senior regulator dismissed this as the "cheekiness of crowds" -- a play on Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, the landmark 1841 book that examined famous asset bubbles like Tulipomania.
The crisis was a "corporate finance problem" that needed "political interference" to rescue banks with wads of taxpayer cash, the regulator added.
The Institute of International Finance, a global bank lobby, said on Thursday Basel will have a significant adverse impact on U.S. jobs and growth over several years.
"A more substantial effect is likely in the euro area, reflecting the greater relative importance of banks in the region's economy, and there will be material effects on Japan and on emerging markets," the IIF said.
WHO BLINKS FIRST?
Basel III is the G20's core regulatory response to the financial crisis and if substantially weakened or delayed, it would be seen as a major loss of face by policymakers.
Banks hope the reforms will be phased in over a longer period with some elements such as treatment of minorities and deferred taxes watered down.
Baudoin Prot, chief executive of French bank BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) and acting head of the French banking federation, called on Thursday for a second round of consultation on Basel III after the summer. There are concerns in countries like France, Germany and Canada that the planned cap on leverage is too blunt. Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's warned this week it could give banks an incentive to take on higher risk, higher yielding loans.
Some bankers this week warned that hopes that December's proposals will be "watered down" could be over-optimistic, and Basel will stick close to its outline on most issues.
G20 members are already urging each other to hold their nerve and finalise the Basel package by year end.
"The EU supports the current work for more, better quality additional capital and new liquidity buffer requirements," European Union finance ministers are due to say on Saturday ahead of a G20 finance ministers meeting next week.