In a recent interview with Central Banking, Fernando Restoy, Chair of the Financial Stability Institute (FSI), discusses how the FSI has shifted its focus to address emerging financial stability risks and regulatory challenges.
When Restoy joined the FSI in 2017, it was primarily focused on providing training to financial supervisors. Since then, the FSI has expanded beyond training to focus on policy work, particularly related to technology, crisis management, and core supervisory issues. "Technology and its impact on the financial system became a core part of our policy," Restoy explains, citing work on AI, fintech, and stablecoins.
He emphasizes the importance of strengthening supervision, rather than overhauling regulation, to mitigate emerging financial stability risks. "Taking into account that liquidity risks typically are linked to other fundamental risks of the banks, such as those related to governance, business models and so on, it's important to have a good view of the interconnection between liquidity risks and other more fundamental vulnerabilities of the banks – and that can only be done by supervision," Restoy argues.
Restoy highlights the financial stability risks of geopolitical uncertainty, stressing the need for more resilient banks. He also discusses non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), arguing that it would be "completely wrong" to apply banking regulations to them. Instead, regulators should seek to assess and address the risks posed by different types of NBFIs specifically. Notably, however, he warns that relationships between traditional banks and NBFIs require better monitoring and supervision, as evidenced by the collapse of Archegos and its impact on Credit Suisse and other banks.
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