Risk-weighted assets: Difference between revisions

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Compare with [[leverage ratio]]: a measure introduced in [[Basel III]] to capture risks that the [[RWA]] measure wasn’t capturing.
[[Risk-weighted assets]] are used to determine the minimum amount of [[Regulatory capital|capital]] that banks and other financial institutions must hold to guard against their risk of insolvency. It is based on a risk assessment for each type of asset. For example, a [[loan]] that is secured by a [[letter of credit]] is considered to be riskier and requires more capital than a [[loan]] that is secured with a [[mortgage]].
 
The [[global financial crisis]] was something of a come-to-Jehosophat moment for the Basel boxwallahs, as it turned out not to be a very good measure of risk, being somewhat counter-cyclical. So they in [[Basel III]] they introduced the [[leverage ratio]] to capture risks that they decided the [[RWA]] measure wasn’t capturing.
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*[[Leverage ratio]]
*[[Leverage ratio]]
*[[Global financial crisis]]

Revision as of 14:14, 14 June 2019

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Risk-weighted assets are used to determine the minimum amount of capital that banks and other financial institutions must hold to guard against their risk of insolvency. It is based on a risk assessment for each type of asset. For example, a loan that is secured by a letter of credit is considered to be riskier and requires more capital than a loan that is secured with a mortgage.

The global financial crisis was something of a come-to-Jehosophat moment for the Basel boxwallahs, as it turned out not to be a very good measure of risk, being somewhat counter-cyclical. So they in Basel III they introduced the leverage ratio to capture risks that they decided the RWA measure wasn’t capturing.

See also