In 2008 all Italian banks will adopt the criteria of the Basel II Accord. Depending on the composition of risk, this may lead to reduced capital requirements; it will certainly result in greater variability between banks.
In order to guarantee leeway, the Bank of Italy is working to ensure that banks’ capital ratios, in relation to the degree of risk and the accuracy of risk management methods, remain well above the minimum requirement. Discussions with the banking groups that plan to adopt internal systems for calculating their capital requirements have intensified of late.