G28 - Government Policy and Regulation

• May 14, 2015

  Improving the Foundation of Canada’s Payments System

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2015 Lana Embree, Paul Miller

  The Canadian payments environment has evolved with enhancements in technology, changes in user expectations and new regulatory standards. In response, the existing regulatory framework and core payments infrastructure are being enhanced. This article describes several revisions to the governance and regulation of the payments system as well as plans to update the core payments infrastructure. These initiatives will position the Canadian payments system to more effectively support a modern and vibrant economy by serving the payments needs of Canadians safely and efficiently as the payments industry continues to evolve.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, G, G2, G28
• December 10, 2014

  Cyber Security: Protecting the Resilience of Canada’s Financial System

  Financial System Review - December 2014 Harold Gallagher, Wade McMahon, Ron Morrow

  Harold Gallagher, Wade McMahon and Ron Morrow examine the various sources of cyber attacks and their potential for systemic risk. Against this background, the report highlights efforts being made to protect against cyber-security threats, including individual and collective actions by financial institutions and financial market infrastructures, as well as initiatives by international organizations, regulatory authorities and governments. The authors then describe the coordination, under the Joint Operational Resilience Management program, of private and public sector actions in Canada for managing and testing capabilities during severe operational events such as cyber attacks.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles JEL Code(s): G, G2, G20, G23, G28
• June 12, 2014

  Making Banks Safer: Implementing Basel III

  Financial System Review - June 2014 Éric Chouinard, Graydon Paulin

  Éric Chouinard and Graydon Paulin review the progress to date in implementing Basel III, the new framework of global regulatory standards for the banking sector developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The report highlights the expected net benefits of implementing Basel III, as well as the challenges in ensuring international consistency in measuring the risk-weighted capital of banks. It includes a discussion on how implementing Basel III has affected the banking system in Canada and other important jurisdictions, and demonstrates the need for ongoing assessment of the effects on the financial system and the macroeconomy.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Financial System Review articles JEL Code(s): G, G2, G28
• November 15, 2012

  The Changing Landscape for Retail Payments in Canada and the Implications for the Demand for Cash

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2012 Carlos Arango, Kim Huynh, Ben Fung, Gerald Stuber

  Over the past 20 years, there has been a major shift away from the use of paper-based retail payment instruments, such as cash and cheques, toward electronic means of payment, such as debit cards and credit cards. Recent Bank of Canada research on consumers’ choice of payment instruments indicates that cash is frequently used for transactions with low values because of its speed, ease of use and wide acceptance, while debit and credit cards are more commonly used for transactions with higher values because of perceived attributes such as safety and record keeping. While innovations in retail payments currently being introduced into the Canadian marketplace could lead to a further reduction in the use of cash over the longer term, the implications for the use of cash of some of the structural and regulatory developments under way are less clear.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): C, C8, C83, E, E4, E42, G, G2, G28
• August 16, 2012

  An Analysis of Indicators of Balance-Sheet Risks at Canadian Financial Institutions

  Bank of Canada Review - Summer 2012 David Xiao Chen, H. Evren Damar, Hani Soubra, Yaz Terajima

  This article examines four indicators of balance-sheet risks—leverage, capital, asset liquidity and funding—among different types of financial institutions in Canada over the past three decades. It also discusses relevant developments in the banking sector that could have contributed to the observed dynamics. The authors find that the various risk indicators decreased during the period for most of the non-Big Six financial institutions, but remained relatively unchanged for the Big Six banks. In addition, the balance-sheet risk indicators became more heterogeneous across financial institutions. The observed overall decline and increased heterogeneity follow certain regulatory changes, such as the introduction of the liquidity guidelines on funding in 1995 and the implementation of bank-specific leverage requirements in 2000. Given that these regulations required more balance-sheet risk management, they have likely contributed to the increased resilience of the banking sector.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): G, G2, G21, G28
• May 17, 2012

  Conference Summary: New Developments in Payments and Settlement

  Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2012 Ben Fung, Miguel Molico

  The Bank of Canada’s annual conference, held in November 2011, brought together leading researchers from universities, central banks and other institutions from around the world. Divided into four sessions plus two keynote addresses, the conference covered such topics as the use of cash and other means of payment in retail transactions, large-value payments systems, and […]

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): E, E4, E42, G, G2, G28, L, L8, L81