Announcement date
30/06/2022
On 30 June 2022, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) released a Post-Implementation Review (PIR) for Basel III liquidity reforms, which has been assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR).
Two core measures of the reforms - the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR), became effective from 2015 and 2018 respectively, with the objectives of:
- addressing deficiencies in previous liquidity frameworks for Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs);
- better alignment of APRA’s liquidity regime with international best practice; and
- reducing the likelihood of the need for (and degree of) government intervention or support for ADIs during a financial crisis.
Given the significance of these reforms, APRA was required to conduct a PIR for each measure, however both were amalgamated into one PIR following agreement by the OBPR in late 2021.
The PIR findings confirm the LCR and NSFR are operating effectively, but that there are potential efficiency improvements that could be made (usability of liquidity buffers; consolidating liquidity requirements; and certain technical areas). These will be addressed during planned consultations on the broader review of prudential standard APS 210, commencing in 2023.
The PIR estimates that these Basel III liquidity reforms have increased regulatory burden by $9.3 million annually.