BIS Working Papers - No 443 - Banks and capital requirements: channels of adjustment

Sep 22, 2026

BIS Working Paper No 443 analyzes how banks adjusted to higher risk-weighted capital ratio requirements after the global financial crisis. Evidence from 94 large banks shows that retained earnings contributed most to rising risk-weighted capital ratios, while changes in risk weights played a smaller role. Lending growth generally continued, but European banks grew more slowly, influenced by lower dividend payouts and wider lending spreads in advanced economies. Banks with stronger initial capital and profitability expanded lending more.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Channels of adjustment

Bank capital, lending and growth in the aggregate

Decomposing changes in the risk-weighted capital ratio

Decomposing changes to capital

Assets and lending

A closer look at adjustment strategies

Conclusions

References

Previous volumes in this series

BIS Working Papers No 443 Banks and capital requirements: channels of adjustment by Benjamin H Cohen and Michela Scatigna Monetary and Economic Department March 2014 JEL classification: E44, G21, G28 . Keywords: banks, bank capital, regulation, capital ratios, Basel III. BIS Working Papers are written by members of the Monetary and Economic Department of the Bank for International Settlements, and from time to time by other economists, and are published by the Bank. The papers are on subjects of topical interest and are technical in character. The views expressed in them are those of their authors and not necessarily the views of the BIS. This publication is available on the BIS website ([www.bis.org](www.bis.org)). © Bank for International Settlements 2014. All rights reserved. Brief excerpts may be reproduced or translated provided the source is stated. ISSN 1020-0959 (print) ISSN 1682-7678 (online) ISBN 978-92-9131-144-6 (print) ISBN 978-92-9131-154-5 (online) 4 BIS Working Papers n° Banks and capital requirements: channels of adjustment Benjamin H Cohen and Michela Scatigna1 Bank capital ratios have increased steadily since the financial crisis. For a sample of 94 large banks from advanced and emerging economies, retained earnings account for the bulk of their higher risk-weighted capital ratios, with reductions in risk weights playing a lesser role. On average, banks continued to expand their lending, though lending growth was relatively slower among European banks. Lower dividend payouts and (for advanced economy banks) wider lending spreads have contributed to banks’ ability to use retained earnings to build capital. Banks that came out of the crisis with higher capital ratios and stronger profitability were able to expand lending more. Keywords: banks, bank capital, regulation, capital ratios, Basel III. JEL classification: E44, G21, G28 . 1 Special Adviser on International Financial Stability Policy, BIS, and Senior Research Analyst, BIS. An earlier version of this paper appeared in the BIS Quarterly Review as Cohen (2013) . The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the BIS. Weare grateful to Claudio Borio, Kostas Tsatsaronis and Christian Upper for helpful comments and discussions. WP443 Banks and capital requirements: channels of adjustment i Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Channels of adjustment ................................................................................................................ 1 2. Bank capital, lending and growth in the aggregate .......................................................... 3 3. Decomposing changes in the risk-weighted capital ratio............................................... 7 4. Decomposing changes to capital............................................................................................ 15 5. Assets and lending........................................................................................................................ 18 6. A closer look at adjustment strategies..................................................................................21 7. Conclusions......................................................................................................................................24 References................................................................................................................................................25 Previous volumes in this series ........................................................................................................27 WP443 Banks and capital requirements: channels of adjustment iii Introduction In the years since the global financial crisis, both the private and public sectors have exerted pressure on banks to bu

FAQs

What is the paper’s main focus regarding bank capital after the crisis?

The paper examines how banks achieved higher risk-weighted capital ratios since the global financial crisis and identifies the dominant adjustment mechanisms.

Which factor explains most of the increase in risk-weighted capital ratios?

Retained earnings account for the bulk of higher risk-weighted capital ratios, with reductions in risk weights playing a lesser role.

How did lending growth differ across regions after the crisis?

Banks continued expanding lending on average, but European banks had relatively slower lending growth compared with banks in other regions.

Sep 22, 2026

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