RBI may permit partial SLR conversion for meeting BASEL III norms

08 Jan 2013 Evaluate

Following the Basel committee of banking supervision easing implementation of liquidity coverage ratio, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Jan 7 hinted at allowing part of the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) holdings of banks to be treated as liquid assets under the Basel-III guidelines, which will come into effect next fiscal.

If one looks at SLR, it is supposed to be maintained continuously. Therefore, question arises whether the banks add some more liquidity on top of SLR, which will be definitely not good for them. Hence, RBI is looking at carving out SLR so that a part of it can become usable, RBI Deputy Governor Anand Sinha reported on the sidelines of an event. However, Sinha did not reveal any details on how much of the SLR holdings could be converted.

In India, banks are mandated to keep 23 per cent of their net time and demand liabilities in government securities. However, statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) does not meet the Basel requirement for liquidity coverage ratio as the assets held by banks are not unencumbered and not liquid.

The Basel-III guideline, which aims to make banks more resilient against any unexpected economic crisis, seeks a higher liquidity coverage ratio that requires banks to hold marketable high quality liquid assets. As a matter of concern, ICRA in its report has stated that banks will need Rs 3.9-5 trillion capital over the next six years, out of which common equity requirements will be Rs 1.3-2 trillion; Rs 1.9 trillion for additional tier I; and Rs 1 trillion for tier II.

Of lately, providing additional time to some banks that need to enhance their capital base, RBI has rescheduled the start date for implementation of Basel III, the global capital norms for banks, by three months to April 1, 2013 from January 1, 2013. The norms are to be implemented in a phased manner by March 31, 2018.

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