A bank that is well capitalized can credibly state to its customers and clients that it can make good on its promise to pay. More and more, clients recognize this and differentiate among various banks on this basis. As financial services converge and competitive pressures increase, banks find that they must vie for capital, not only with their domestic and foreign counterparts, but also with investment funds, asset management firms, investment banks and insurance companies. This is equally true for emerging market banks that find they must compete with internationally active banks in what were previously thought to be solely domestic markets. These banks recognize that an adequately capitalized institution is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to compete globally and to attract international funds and clients. It will be a challenge for these banks, and particularly those with high-risk profiles and opaque financial statements, to prove to clients, counterparties and stakeholders that they are operating safely and soundly. In the face of increasing competitive pressures, banks are focusing more of their attention on the role of capital, capital levels and targets, and how they relate to strategic plans and objectives. Many banks also are spending more time assessing their own risk profiles and evaluating the amount of capital they need to cope with adverse outcomes in normal times and under reasonable stress scenarios. The more sophisticated banks are in the process of developing internal systems and methodologies, including formal analytical models, that enable them to do this better.
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