Banks must be prepared to accept tougher capital adequacy rules and revised accounting standards if a genuine commitment to avoid a repeat of the global financial crisis is to be made, according to the chair of the International Actuarial Association Enterprise and Financial Risks Committee, Tony Coleman.
Coleman has told an Institute of Actuaries of Australia conference in Sydney today that it had been widely recognised that an over-reliance on monetary policy and an inability to manage asset price bubbles were key drivers of the collapse.
He said pro-cyclical capital requirements had then worsened the crisis by leaving banks disastrously short of capital when they needed it most.
In a bid to address the problems, Coleman pointed to two options — formula based and discretionary.
Coleman said formula-based capital management drew down on insurance industry practices where companies were required to store capital in good times to create buffers when markets turned sour — something that could be implemented by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) with government approval.
He said, alternatively, discretionary capital management could be implemented by an independent reserve bank setting capital adequacy parameters.
Coleman said expanding the use of the actuarial control cycle approach was also recommended to improve risk management.
Australia’s second largest super fund has added thermal coal companies to its list of investment exclusions.
The fund has expanded its corporate superannuation solutions to partner with Australian businesses of all sizes.
The chief executive of Aware Super anticipates a significant shift in how ESG factors will influence portfolio values in the next six years, surpassing the changes witnessed in the past two decades.
In a recent statement, shadow assistant minister for home ownership and Liberal senator for NSW, Andrew Bragg, accused ‘big super’ of fabricating data attributed to the Reserve Bank of Australia to push their agenda.
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