NBE Directives
NBE Directives
NBE Directives
Safeguarding financial stability is a core function of NBE: a sound and stable financial system
help channel resources to their most productive uses. It is critical for public savings to be
mobilized, protected, and deployed safely for the purposes of economy-wide lending,
investment, and growth. To this end, NBE is announcing major changes to its regulatory
systems in line with global standards and in response to the development of the domestic
banking industry – as incorporated in its three years Strategic Plan.
The revised regulatory standards fall into two broad groups: the first one – the Large Exposure
Limit Directive, Related Party Exposure Directive and Asset Classification and Provisioning
Directive – is aimed at reducing vulnerabilities and improving risk management frameworks.
The second group of Directives – Fit and Proper Test Directive, and Corporate Governance
Directive – enhance the effectiveness of Banks’ oversight and management functions through
best practice corporate governance principles.
II. Exposure to Related Party Directive: aims to minimize abuse, conflict of interest and
extraction of private benefit from banks by related parties and ensures that banks’
transactions with related parties are adequately monitored and are made on arm’s
length basis. Related parties are persons connected with the bank either through
control and/or employment. The Directive limits the sum of all exposures directly or
indirectly held by a bank to any single related party at any time to 15% of its total capital
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and the aggregate sum of exposures to all related parties combined to 35% of the total
capital. The Directive also forbids that a bank conducts any transactions with a related
party on preferential terms compared to conditions normally applied to unrelated
parties.
III. Asset Classification and Provisioning Directive: aims for loans or advances to be
regularly reviewed and classified in a manner consistent with accepted principles of
international accounting and regulatory standards to ensure prudent risk governance of
banks. The Directive requires banks to report all restructured loans of material size
above 5% of their capital to the NBE and tightens the conditions for how banks treat
restructured loans and non-performing loans. This includes:
IV. Requirements for Persons with Significant Influence in a Bank Directive: aims to
ensure stability and long-term institutional success of the banking sector; maintain
public confidence on the integrity of the financial system through having fit and
appropriate owners, directors and managers, and to continuously enhance the
effectiveness and soundness of corporate governance in banks. Among the reforms
introduced are tightened requirements for boards of directors and senior management
of banks, including, limited number of directorships and higher qualifications and
relevant experience.