Country Reports
2022
April 12, 2022
Montenegro: Technical Assistance Report-External Sector Statistics
Description: The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s Statistics Department (STA) conducted a technical assistance (TA) mission to the Central Bank of Montenegro (CBM) for the compilation of external sector statistics (ESS) during April 28–May 13, 2021. The mission was funded by Eurostat to meet the European Union (EU)’s acquis1 from the ESS perspective. The mission focused on the compilation of quarterly international investment position (IIP),2 and assisted the CBM in preparing the Reserves Data Template (RDT) as well as in recording of financial intermediary services indirectly measured (FISIM) in balance of payments statistics.
April 11, 2022
Republic of Kazakhstan: 2021 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; Staff Statement; and Statement by the Executive Director for Kazakhstan
Description: Activity returned to its pre-COVID level in 2021. Inflation remains well above the NBK’s 4–6 percent target band, and spillovers from sanctions on Russia will exacerbate price pressures and weaken economic growth in 2022. Kazakhstan benefits from strong fiscal and external buffers but risks to the outlook are elevated due to the uncertain impact on Kazakhstan of the sanctions on Russia and heightened domestic tensions since the January social unrest episode. In the medium term, non-oil growth under the baseline is expected to converge to about 4 percent. Sustainable growth will require greater economic diversification. Climate-related challenges are acute for Kazakhstan given its outsized hydrocarbon sector, high per-capita greenhouse gas emissions, and low domestic energy prices.
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Vulnerabilities in NBFIs, Market-Based Finance, and Systemic Liquidity
Description: The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) carried out a focused review of the non-banks in the United Kingdom and systemic liquidity. It reviewed five areas: (i) The overall NBFI system, its links to banks and the rest of the world; (ii) NBFI direct lending to the U.K. economy; (iii) Sterling investment funds (OEFs, AIFs, and MMFs); (iv) CCPs; and (v) Systemic liquidity. The NBFIs are defined as all non-deposit-taking corporations, listed in Figure 1, and with the following limited coverage: Pension Funds and Insurance Companies are covered to the extend they lend to the economy and interact with CCPs; Investment funds only to the extent of Sterling Funds; and broker-dealers only to the extent they interact with CCPs. Regulatory aspects of NBFIs are covered in a parallel Technical Note (TN).
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Select Issues in Systemic Risk Oversight and Macroprudential Policy
Description: The United Kingdom’s macroprudential policy framework has proven its effectiveness. After the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007–09, the United Kingdom assigned the Bank of England (BOE) a clear financial stability mandate, created a new Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to set macroprudential policy, and shifted to a “twin peaks” model of financial oversight. The 2016 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) concluded that the new framework appeared appropriate for effectively conducting macroprudential policy. However, the framework was then relatively new. The 2021 FSAP represents an opportunity to review its performance in building systemic resilience through the financial cycle, including the market volatility resulting from the Brexit vote and the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Systemic Stress, and Climate-Related Financial Risks: Implications for Balance Sheet Resilience
Description: The FSAP started in an important macro-financial phase right after the second Covid wave and a third lockdown. The balance sheet resilience of major institutional sectors was at the center of policy considerations. Against this backdrop, the FSAP analyzed the pandemic’s potential “scarring” of banks, insurers, corporates, and households balance sheets, focusing on the interplay of macro-financial/structural conditions and financial vulnerabilities.
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Select Issues in Financial Safety Net Arrangements and Financial Crisis Preparedness
Description: The United Kingdom (U.K.) bank resolution and financial crisis readiness arrangements are sound but with opportunities for continued and accelerated enhancements. The U.K. authorities’ individual and collective crisis readiness—including with other major jurisdictions—continues to improve. Mid-2022, all major U.K. banks and the authorities will issue the first public statements about these banks’ resolvability. This is supported by a comprehensive special resolution regime (SRR) and resolvability assessment framework (RAF) for banks. Yet, there is space—and a need—to further enhance the SRR, including its application to central counterparties (CCPs), and to introduce one for insurance companies. Furthermore, elements of the deposit insurance system and firm-specific resolution decision-making should be strengthened, and implementation and reputation risk addressed.
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Some Forward Looking Cross-Sectoral Issues
Description: The United Kingdom faces significant money laundering threats from foreign criminal proceeds, owing to its status as a global financial center, but the authorities have a strong understanding of these risks. The authorities estimated the realistic possibility of hundreds of billions of pounds of illicit proceeds being laundered in their jurisdiction. The money laundering risks facing the United Kingdom include illicit proceeds from foreign crimes such as transnational organized crime, overseas corruption, and tax crimes. Financial services, trust, and company service providers (TCSPs), accountancy and legal sectors are high-risk for money laundering, with also significant emerging risks coming from cryptoassets. Some Crown Dependencies (CDs) and British Overseas Territories (BOTs) have featured in U.K. money laundering investigations. Brexit and COVID pandemic have an impact upon the money laundering risks in the United Kingdom. The authorities nevertheless have demonstrated a deep and robust experience in assessing and understanding their ML/TF risks. Leveraging technology tools such as big data and machine learning to analyze cross-border payments may add further dimension to their risk assessments. This technical note (TN) will focus on key aspects of the United Kingdom’s anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime: risk-based AML/CFT supervision, entity transparency and international cooperation.
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Detailed Assessment of Observance of Insurance Core Principles Issued by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors
Description: The regulatory framework for insurance supervision in the United Kingdom is sophisticated and the authorities are leaders in supervisory techniques. Observance with the Insurance Core Principles (ICPs) is very high compared to peers with 17 ICPs observed and only 6 out of 24 ICPs determined to be largely observed and 1 partly observed.
April 8, 2022
United Kingdom: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Banking Supervision and Issues in Financial Stability
Description: The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) carried out a targeted evaluation of issues relating to the effectiveness of banking regulation and supervision in the United Kingdom. It leverages on the 2016 FSAP which concluded that the United Kingdom (U.K.) had a high degree of compliance with the 2012 Basel Core Principles (BCPs) with some shortcomings. The 2021 FSAP reviewed the progress in addressing them and examined the main supervisory and regulatory developments since the last FSAP. The FSAP evaluation also focuses on steps taken to minimize disruptions in the U.K. banking system at the end of the Brexit transition period, and on the regulatory and supervisory measures introduced to contain spillovers from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the U.K. banking system.