Stress-testing banks during the Covid-19 pandemic

Highlights

• In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of authorities that regularly conduct stress tests on individual banks adjusted their approach. They performed ad hoc exercises to assess the vulnerability of banking sectors as a whole. These exercises are different from regular ones in terms of key features such as objectives, design and methodologies, and communication.
• In the short term, such stress tests can support the assessment of the pandemic's impact at an aggregate level.
• As the pandemic evolves and its impact is better understood, authorities can further adjust their stress tests and refine their key features accordingly. That will allow for a more granular, bank-level assessment. It may also help authorities to achieve the necessary balance between keeping banks safe and sound, and ensuring an adequate flow of credit to the real economy.