Country Reports

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2024

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Securities Regulation and Supervision

Description: This paper describes a technical note on securities regulation and supervision in The Netherlands. Regulation of securities and derivatives markets in the European Union (EU) has changed materially since the last Netherlands Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), with further reforms underway. The securities market landscape in the Netherlands has also changed markedly since the last FSAP, largely in response to Brexit. The Netherlands is now of EU-wide significance in relation to the trading of securities, particularly equities, which has brought challenges for the national authorities. Further enhancements of its approach and a continuing focus on trading system operational resilience are now needed. The established venues are growing and diversifying their offerings, and ‘fintech’ new entrants with business models combining trading and post-trading operations in new ways are on the horizon. Enhancements to the legislative framework are now needed to ensure that the Autoriteit Financiële Markten can continue to supervise efficiently and effectively an expanded and more diverse market, and to engage credibly with international counterparts.

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Insurance and Pension Fund Regulation and Supervision

Description: This paper highlights a technical note on insurance and pension fund regulation and supervision in The Netherlands. The Dutch insurance sector is undergoing further consolidation, the life sector has been steadily shrinking over the last two decades, and the non-life market is relatively saturated. Investment exposures to real estate are increasing, and Dutch insurers are large providers of mortgage loans. Solvency ratios of Dutch insurers are well above the regulatory threshold, but below the EU average and furthermore distorted by the mechanics of the ‘Long-Term Guarantee Measures’ in Solvency II. The Dutch pension system—considered to be among the best according to international comparisons—rests on three pillars. Most pension schemes are defined-benefit pensions, which have come under pressure since 2008, when low interest rates resulted in declining funding ratio and led to an overall loss in confidence in the system. The Dutch system for independent state agencies, including De Nederlandsche Bank and Autoriteit Financiële Markten, carefully balances powers and accountability. Supervision of insurers and pension funds is effective in the Netherlands.

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Systemic Risk Analysis

Description: This paper presents a technical note on systemic risk analysis in The Netherlands. The banking sector appears resilient to adverse macrofinancial shocks assuming no policy reactions, but some vulnerabilities exist. The insurance solvency stress test evidenced a broad resilience of the Dutch insurance sector, particularly for property & casualty and health insurers, while vulnerabilities exist for some life insurers. The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) team also carried out an analysis of household and corporate sector resilience, and of the commercial real estate market. Life insurers are broadly resilient to liquidity shocks despite large interest rate swap positions. Assuming a euro interest rate increase of 100 basis points, margin calls are sizable, but the sampled entities apply heterogenous strategies and draw on a variety of different sources for their liquidity, including cash and deposits, uncommitted repo facilities, and the sale of money-market funds. The FSAP recommendations aim to address observed gaps and further strengthen the Netherlands’ systemic risk analysis framework.

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Supervision and Disclosure of Climate-Related Risks

Description: This paper presents a technical note on supervision and disclosure of climate-related risks in The Netherlands. Similar to other jurisdictions, the integration of climate-related risks into supervisory processes in the Netherlands faces various challenges. Supervision has been proactive in researching exposures to climate-related risks as well as designing tools to assess how financial institutions identify, monitor and manage these risks. Supervisors have been gradually developing approaches and methodologies to support the supervisory process. Many of these initiatives and projects have been influential in the international debate on climate risk supervision. The authorities need to translate strategic measures into a concrete roadmap to ensure that the process of setting up climate risk supervision is systematic and continues at a sufficiently ambitious pace. Going forward, climate risk supervision must strengthen quantitative tools and data sets. The note provides the main recommendations to enhance the supervision of banking and insurance activities conducted in the Netherlands with a direct bearing on its financial stability.

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Macroprudential Policy Framework

Description: This paper presents a technical note on macroprudential policy framework in The Netherlands. The Financial Sector Assessment Program recommendations aim to address observed gaps and further strengthen the Netherlands’ macroprudential policy framework. Macroprudential policy in the Netherlands has centered on the residential real estate market given the importance of this market for households, banks, and insurers. The current institutional arrangement is broadly in line with IMF guidance for effective macroprudential policy. Surveillance and systemic risk assessment rely on comprehensive quantitative information and on various property market models and stress tests. The willingness to act and the ability to act over the calibration of the borrower-based tools are, however, considered weak. The authorities recently increased the differentiation of the transfer tax to improve the position of owner-occupiers relative to that of buy-to-let investors, but the measure should be calibrated cautiously. Supply-side measures remain critical to limit house price pressures and improve access to homeownership.

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Banking Supervision

Description: This paper presents a technical note on banking supervision in The Netherlands. Supervision of less significant institutions is effective in the Netherlands. The Financial Sector Assessment Program encourages De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) to maintain its proactive and creative approach, and proposes some extensions to solidify this practice. DNB and the Autoriteit Financiële Markten should also continue the rigorous practice in IO Mortgage supervision, while further emphasizing the quality of inputs for risk managements of banks, in particular, updated clients’ disposable incomes and collaterals’ values, and motivating banks to improve risk controls and the data aggregation process. Going forward, supervision must reflect a changing market landscape and rapid deployment of new technologies.

June 18, 2024

Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Climate Risk Analysis

Description: This paper presents a technical note on climate risk analysis in The Netherlands. The Netherlands is exposed to both physical and transition risks from climate change. This Financial Sector Assessment Program FSAP analyzed potential risks to financial stability posed by physical risks from floods and transition risks from nitrogen. In order to assess physical climate risks, bank stress tests were conducted against flood events under a range of scenarios encompassing diverse regions, climate conditions, and flood protection reinforcement plans with different return periods. Despite the sizeable land area in the Netherlands susceptible to flooding, the physical climate stress test has demonstrated that the banking sector exhibits resilience to flood events. As the government’s efforts to reduce nitrogen depositions continue, the banking sector could face transition risks through the credit channel, particularly if loans are extended to financially vulnerable firms in high nitrogen-emitting sectors. The Dutch government should strengthen data sharing and collaboration with floods and climate experts. Flood scenarios designed with detailed flood maps under future climate conditions would provide a more accurate assessment of both climate change impact and adaptation measures.

June 17, 2024

Argentina: Eighth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for Modification of Performance Criteria, Waivers of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria, and Financing Assurances Review-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Argentina

Description: Decisive implementation of the stabilization plan—centered on a strong fiscal anchor with no new monetary financing, and relative price corrections—has led to twin fiscal and external surpluses, a marked turnaround in reserves, faster-than-expected disinflation, a bolstering of the BCRA’s balance sheet and a reduction in sovereign spreads to multi-year lows. Selected easing of FX restrictions and deregulatory efforts are improving resource allocation. Nevertheless, macroeconomic imbalances and growth bottlenecks remain sizable and a long and difficult adjustment process still lies ahead, where policies need to evolve to build on earlier gains and support a turnaround in activity. Efforts are also underway to build political and societal support for reforms, as well as to scale up social assistance to protect the most vulnerable and ensure the burden of the adjustment does not fall disproportionally on working families. That said, delays in securing key legislation in Congress have led to some market volatility.

June 17, 2024

Republic of Armenia: Third Review under the Stand-by Arrangement and Request for Modifications of Performance Criterion and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause-Press Release; Staff Report

Description: This paper discusses Republic of Armenia’s Third Review under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and Request for Modifications of Performance Criterion and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause. On the back of high domestic and external demand, gross domestic product growth remained strong by historical standards at 8.7 percent in 2023 and is expected to moderate to a more sustainable level of around 6 percent in 2024. The SBA, which the Armenian authorities are treating as precautionary, aims to support the government’s policy and reform agenda to preserve economic and financial stability and support strong, inclusive, and sustainable growth. Fiscal policy should strike a balance between preserving macro-fiscal stability and accommodating rising spending pressures. Careful spending prioritization and decisive tax policy and revenue administration efforts will be needed to create fiscal space, including for social integration, security spending, further infrastructure development, and a healthcare overhaul. Structural reforms should focus on strengthening revenue mobilization, fiscal risk and public investment management, the Central Bank of Armenia’s supervisory framework, the employment and social assistance programs, export diversification, enhancing governance, and reducing corruption vulnerabilities.

June 14, 2024

Costa Rica: Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Third Review Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangement, and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause

Description: This paper presents Costa Rica’s Sixth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Third Review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangement, and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause. The authorities continue to make important progress on Costa Rica’s economic reform agenda. Going forward, the authorities should focus on institutionalizing the impressive progress over the past three years and sustaining reform momentum. The supervisory authorities should continue to enhance their toolkits to strengthen financial sector resilience. A recently submitted bill to amend the bank resolution and deposit insurance law would help strengthen the crisis management framework and the financial safety net and should be approved quickly. Keeping the momentum of structural reforms is critical to achieving greener and more inclusive growth. The new social assistance single window is increasing the quality of social spending. It is critical for the public employment bill to be fully implemented by all affected institutions.

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