Country Reports
2024
May 13, 2024
Maldives: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Maldives
Description: Despite headwinds from the war in Ukraine, the Maldives’ economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has shown resilience. The cyclical rebound and still favorable economic outlook provide an opportunity for the Maldives to address its large fiscal and external vulnerabilities. This calls for immediate policy actions to rebuild economic resilience and reduce debt to a sustainable level. Given that the Maldives is highly vulnerable to climate change, early actions to rein in debt vulnerabilities will help support the Maldives’ efforts to scale up the much-needed climate adaptation investments in a resource constrained context.
May 13, 2024
Austria: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Austria
Description: Strong policy responses have helped to mitigate the impact of the recent shocks. Output recovered rapidly from the pandemic and, in response to the energy price shock, the authorities made use of available fiscal room to mitigate its impact while preserving price signals to encourage lower gas consumption and taking steps to secure access to additional gas supplies. Despite these efforts, the economy slipped into recession over the last few quarters, with high energy prices, elevated inflation, and higher interest rates weighing on output and demand. Inflation still persists above the euro-area average even as it has steadily declined since January 2023, in particular as services inflation has proved to be sticky amid high wage growth. Over the medium term, demographic headwinds pose significant fiscal and growth challenges.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Banking Supervision and Regulation Selected Issues
Description: The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) carried out a targeted evaluation of issues relating to the effectiveness of banking supervision and regulation in Japan. The scope of the work focused on the key findings from the 2017 Basel Core Principles (BCP) Detailed Assessment Report (DAR) and the transformation of the supervisory approach by the Financial Services Agency (FSA) undertaken since the last FSAP. The overall conclusion of the 2017 DAR was that the supervisory framework was generally sound, but some key priority areas were identified as needing to be addressed. This note reviews progress made in these areas as well as examining the fundamental shift to a more risk-focused, principles-based supervisory approach than before.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Financial System Stability Assessment
Description: Japan’s large and globally well-integrated financial system has remained resilient through a series of shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, aided by strong policy support and improved policy frameworks since the 2017 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). The financial system is, however, at a critical juncture amid an evolving macroeconomic environment. After years of deflationary concerns and ultralow interest rates, sustained inflationary pressures have emerged, leading the Bank of Japan to end its negative interest rate policy and yield curve control. Key risks to macrofinancial stability at present stem from the sizable security holdings of financial institutions under mark-to-market accounting, some banks’ notable foreign currency (FX) exposures, and signs of overheating in parts of the real estate markets. These challenges come atop several structural transformations stemming from climate change, rapid digitalization, and an aging population.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Cyber Resilience and Financial Stability
Description: Japan’s financial system is digitalizing rapidly, increasing exposure to cyber risk. As in other jurisdictions, the pace of digitalization in Japan has increased substantially, but cyber incidents have also surged in recent years. The tight interdependencies within its financial system, and beyond, make Japan vulnerable to evolving cyber threats. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) and Bank of Japan (BOJ) have made progress in enhancing the cyber resilience of the financial sector, but further work and enhancements are needed.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Regulation and Supervision of Investment Funds
Description: This technical note reviews the functioning and effectiveness of the regulation, supervision, and systemic risk monitoring of investment funds in Japan. It focuses on the requirements that are directly relevant to maintaining financial stability, namely, valuation, segregation and safekeeping of fund assets, liquidity risk management and redemption of fund units. The note also reviews the efficacy with which the authorities: i) analyze and monitor the systemic risk arising from fund management activities in Japan; ii) apply the domestic regulatory framework pertinent to investment funds; and iii) supervise compliance with the regulatory framework. The note sets out a series of recommendations to further strengthen the domestic regulatory, supervisory, and risk monitoring frameworks.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Detailed Assessment of Observance on Insurance Core Principles
Description: This assessment of insurance supervision and regulation in Japan was carried out as part of the 2024 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). This assessment has been made against the Insurance Core Principles (ICPs) issued by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) in November 2019. The assessment includes the standards of the Common Framework for the Supervision of Internationally Active Insurance Groups (ComFrame). It is based on the laws, regulations and other supervisory requirements, and practices that were in place at the time of the assessment in September and October 2023.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Financial Safety Net and Crisis Readiness
Description: Japan has made progress in improving its crisis readiness since the 2017 FSAP, and the authorities are committed to make further enhancements that are needed. Notably, the authorities have introduced loss absorbing capacity (LAC) requirements, expanded the recovery and resolution planning (RRP) perimeter to some degree, set up the Recovery and Resolution Planning Office (RRP Office), and revised the RRP guidelines for banks and financial market infrastructures (FMIs). They have also continued with annual reviews and updates of existing RRPs, advanced the work in firm-specific crisis management groups (CMGs), contributed to the workings of international standard-setting bodies, and engaged in bilateral workshops with foreign counterparts. These improvements were built on a relatively comprehensive bank resolution regime, but hands-on experience with managing bank failures and financial crises is fading in Japan, while the financial system is evolving and getting more complex, putting a premium on accelerated and expanded crisis readiness efforts.
May 13, 2024
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Systemic Risk Analysis and Stress Testing;
Description: The Japanese financial system has remained resilient through a series of shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan’s large and globally well-integrated financial system withstood the pandemic shock, aided by strong capital and liquidity buffers and extensive policy support. Credit provision to the private sector has remained robust since the pandemic, supporting a steady economic recovery.