This note summarises the main features of the finalised Basel III reforms. The standards text, which provides the full details of the reforms, is published separately and is available on the BIS website.
The Basel III framework is a central element of the Basel Committee’s response to the global financial crisis. It addresses a number of shortcomings in the pre-crisis regulatory framework and provides a foundation for a resilient banking system that will help avoid the build-up of systemic vulnerabilities. The framework will allow the banking system to support the real economy through the economic cycle.
The initial phase of Basel III reforms focused on strengthening the following components of the regulatory framework:
- improving the quality of bank regulatory capital by placing a greater focus on going-concern loss-absorbing capital in the form of Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital;
- increasing the level of capital requirements to ensure that banks are sufficiently resilient to
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