MNI BRIEF: Don't Waste Crisis, Cenbank Boss Tells Regulators

Policymakers should look at new ways of applying macroprudential tools as they continue to learn from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the banking industry, the chairman of the Bank of Lithuania said in a speech Friday, as he called for the creation of an EU Solvency Support Instrument.

Among the "novel" ideas to be considered is using borrower-based measures during the cycle, such as relaxing loan-to-value or debt-service-to-income requirements in times of need, Vitas Vasiliauskas said, as he urged regulators not to "waste a good crisis." Long-term issues such as the need for consolidation, completing the banking union and NPLs should also be addressed, Vasiliauskas said in his introductory address to the Cyprus Annual Banking Conference and FinTech EXPO.

"To tackle the potential rise in NPLs, the next round of government support should put more emphasis on solvency rather than liquidity support," Visiliauskas said. "In my opinion, the EU should return to the idea of establishing a European Solvency Support Instrument. There is also a great need of convergence of various insolvency frameworks across the Member States."