Anticipating the Unforeseen and Expecting the Unexpected: Effectiveness of Macro-Prudential Policies in Curbing the Impact of Stranded Assets in the Banking Sector

Abstract

Banks are exposed to climate risks through stranded assets. This risk can be substantial in the banking sector, as it can spawn systemic risk. After the Great Recession, macro-prudential instruments effectively addressed systemic risk. However, climatic risks raise the research question of how feasible it is to address them by adopting macro-prudential instruments. The researchers, therefore, investigate how banks can respond to the risk posed by stranded assets through the framework of using macro-prudential instruments. A semi-systematic review of the related literature is carried out based on the researchers’ aim to evaluate theory evidence in the effectiveness of macroprudential instruments in addressing climate-related risks. The adaptability of macro-prudential instruments to address climatic risks and, by implication, systemic risk is demonstrated in the findings. The researchers develop a framework constituting climate transparency disclosures, climate capital requirement ratio, climate capital conservation, carbon countercyclical buffer and macro-prudential climate stress tests to mitigate the effects of climate risks in banking.