The Federal Reserve Board said Tuesday that it has officially joined a global coalition of central bankers and financial regulators focused on managing climate risk to the financial sector.
The Fed has been participating in discussions with the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System for over a year now, the regulator said in a press release. The NGFS convenes banking regulators from around the world to exchange ideas, research and best practices for understanding the systemic financial risks posed by a warming world and increasingly severe weather events.
“As we develop our understanding of how best to assess the impact of climate change on the financial system, we look forward to continuing and deepening our discussions with our NGFS colleagues from around the world," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said.
Bloomberg
“As we develop our understanding of how best to assess the impact of climate change on the financial system, we look forward to continuing and deepening our discussions with our NGFS colleagues from around the world," Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell said in a press release.
The U.S. has somewhat lagged its peers abroad in looking at climate risk to the financial system, so the Fed’s membership in the NGFS is a sign that U.S. regulators are taking the risks more seriously. If confirmed as President-elect Joe Biden's nominee Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, a former Fed chair, is expected to focus heavily on the threat about global warming poses to the financial system.
In a September report, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission recommended that U.S. regulators join the NGFS as a means of helping the Fed and other regulatory agencies better understanding the risks climate change pose to banks' balance sheets. That report additionally recommended that U.S. banking regulators design a pilot program to stress test for climate-related risks, an idea that Republican lawmakers and industry groups have pushed back on.
The Network for Greening the Financial System includes 75 central banks across the globe. The Fed’s Board of Governors voted 5-0 to accept membership in the organization.
Block, which maintains its original Square brand for its business-focused products, is offering easier access to cash advances for small businesses. Also, Amex and Mastercard expand their virtual card strategy; and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.
The White House working group on digital assets said in a report that regulators should "promote transparency regarding the process for institutions to obtain bank charters or Reserve Bank master accounts."
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said during his regular press conference Wednesday that the process of determining tariff-related price increases was always going to be slow, but it has taken longer than he expected.
A report Wednesday detailed Scattered Spider's advanced social engineering tactics and the escalating threat the group poses to financial institutions.
12 states have laws governing earned wage access, also known as on-demand pay, and while many follow similar general guidelines, small – yet critical – distinctions are emerging with each new regulation.
The largest bank in Missouri, which completed the acquisition of Heartland Financial USA early this year, is on track to switch Heartland's systems over to UMB's systems in mid-October. The conversion should help realize "the next big slug" of expense savings, UMB's CFO said.
