Saudi Arabia ahead of US, EU and UK when it comes to Basel IV compliance
Basel IV regulations mandate that banks maintain specific leverage ratios and designated reserve capital
Saudi Arabia’s dedication to financial stability has been underlined by figures from the Kingdom’s central bank showing its capital adequacy ratio stands at 19.5 percent – far above the 8 percent minimum requirement introduced in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis.
This position comes as Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries to be fully compliant with Basel IV regulations, which mandate that banks maintain specific leverage ratios and designated reserve capital.
This adherence to global standards contrasts with the varied timelines seen worldwide for Basel IV implementation.
While the EU, the UK, and Switzerland are navigating finalization processes, the US is yet to commence consultations on these critical reforms, which remain a top priority for regulatory bodies amidst recent bank failures. Although Saudi Arabia’s ratio falls slightly below the 20 percent recorded in the same period in 2023, it still comfortably exceeds the Basel III minimum requirement of 8 percent, encompassing both Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital.
Basel III is a set of international banking regulations developed by the Bank for International Settlements to promote stability in the international financial system. It was introduced following the 2008 global financial crisis to improve the banks’ ability to handle any shocks from financial stress and strengthen both their transparency and their disclosure.
Basel III builds on the previous accords, Basel I and Basel II, and is part of a process to improve regulation in the banking industry. Basel IV, or 3.1, was introduced in 2017 and is the final reform of Basel III. It focuses on strengthening the banking sector for increased resilience against future crises. The target timelines for implementation of the final reforms vary significantly worldwide.
Originally scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, the implementation of Basel IV was postponed by 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with transitional dates being revised and varies among countries.
The Basel IV proposals seek to restore credibility in the calculation of risk-weighted assets and improve the comparability of banks’ capital ratios.
One of the most significant risks faced by traditional banks is credit risk, which involves the uncertainty that loans, the primary assets of a bank, may not be repaid, leading to unexpected losses. To mitigate this risk, regulators impose a regulatory capital intended to absorb losses in times of credit default. The absence of sufficient capital can lead to a bank collapse, posing not only a threat to the individual bank but also to the broader financial system.
In a February 2023 report, Fitch Ratings highlighted that Saudi Arabia, along with Australia, Canada, Indonesia, and South Korea, was among the few jurisdictions that successfully met the globally agreed official Basel IV implementation date in January 2023. The report also emphasized Saudi Arabia’s status as one of the most sophisticated and conservative regulators in the Middle East and Africa.
Under these regulations, banks are required to measure their riskweighted assets in a calculation that involves assigning different risk weights to various categories of assets based on their perceived riskiness. The goal is to reflect the varying degrees of credit risk associated with different types of assets in a bank’s portfolio.
Banks are then required to assign regulatory capital to ensure they have a sufficient buffer to absorb potential losses, particularly during economic downturns or financial crises. The capital requirements are usually expressed as a percentage of a bank’s risk-weighted assets.
The key capital types that are allowed under Basel III are divided into two main tiers: Tier 1 which is the highest quality capital and includes common equity, retained earnings and other comprehensive income, in addition to Tier 2, other instruments with specific loss-absorption features.
Within the banks’ capital adequacy calculations under the Basel III framework, another significant ratio that banks need to comply with is the regulatory Tier 1 capital, which should be maintained at a minimum 6 percent of RWA to safeguard their financial strength.
In the context of Saudi banks, this regulatory Tier 1 capital reached 16 percent of their RWA, indicating a robust position that comfortably surpasses the Basel III requirement for a minimum Tier 1 capital of 6 percent.
Furthermore, this capital encompasses the capital conservation buffer – a supplementary measure under Basel III intended to absorb losses during economic stress, fixed at 2.5 percent of total risk-weighted assets.
The primary purpose of the capital conservation buffer is to build an additional layer of capital that banks can draw upon in times of financial difficulty. It aims to promote the conservation of capital and prevent banks from depleting their capital levels to a point where they may be at risk of financial distress. Importantly, this buffer must be fulfilled using Common Equity Tier 1 exclusively, and it is positioned above the regulatory minimum capital requirement of 8 percent. This elevates the overall required minimum ratio to 10.5 percent.
If the minimum buffer requirements are breached, capital distribution constraints will be imposed on the bank.
Tier 1 capital is categorized as going concern, signifying its immediate capacity to absorb losses as soon as they arise. On the other hand, Tier 2, the second type of capital considered in calculating the bank’s capital adequacy ratio, encompasses supplementary capital and operates as a gone concern, absorbing losses before affecting depositors and general creditors.
Total available regulatory capital is the sum of these two elements Tier 1 and Tier 2. Both categories have distinct criteria that capital instruments must meet before being considered. Banks must adhere to specified minimum levels of Common Equity Tier 1, Tier 1, and total capital, with each level expressed as a percentage of risk-weighted assets.
The Basel IV proposals seek to restore credibility in the calculation of risk-weighted assets and improve the comparability of banks’ capital ratios.
Fitch Ratings said this move is expected to benefit banks with significant exposures to residential and commercial mortgage loans, as well as high-quality project finance in Saudi Arabia. The capital ratios of these banks are expected to improve, thanks to more detailed risk-weightings that are generally lower than those observed under the previous regime.
However, according to the agency, banks involved in land acquisition, construction, development, financial guarantees and equities will face increased capital requirements. Retail-focused banks are set to benefit from improved capital ratios with lower risk-weightings, particularly in residential mortgage loans. SAMA’s cap on the loan-to-value ratio at 90 percent will lead to reduced risk-weights, ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent, from 50 percent previously.
The overall capital ratio for the Saudi banking sector will remain mostly unchanged as indicated by a parallel run conducted by SAMA in 2022.