Episodes of global financial crises are an excellent illustration of how macroprudential policy measures can be activated in a counter-cyclical manner. In the upward phase of the financial cycle, they were undertaken in a timely manner, with the aim of limiting banking system's exposure to risks and strengthening its resilience by building additional reserves. After 2008, in the downward phase of the cycle, this extra liquidity was released to provide support to the financial sector and the economy. The banking system remained highly capitalized and profitable at the aggregate level. Only a few smaller banks left the market, and there was no need for bank resolution, apart from one regionally significant bank. A different scenario from that in a number of European countries, which went on to bail out banks at a very high fiscal cost. Still, a deep recession took place during the GFC, demonstrating the need for a macro-prudential policy to work hand-in-hand with other policies. Even a very tight financial regulation may fall short of fully curtailing the buildup of macro imbalances and their eventual unwinding. Capital inflows came to a halt and borrowing costs surged as risk premia increased due to worries about growth and fiscal position. As that happened, as you would expect, asset price overvaluations unravelled. However, all systemic banks were doing fine, thanks to a massive use of macroprudential policies in the run up to the GFC. Smaller banks continued to exit either by being closed down or acquired.
The total financial packages provided around the world to various economic sectors (health and non-health) amounted to around USD 10.8 trillion, equivalent to 10.2% of the global GDP, while the amounts allocated to support liquidity injected into the economies reached USD 6.1 trillion, or 6.2% of the global GDP. Like the other countries in the world, the Kuwaiti economy encountered many challenges, as economic activities have been shut down for several months, and global shipping of merchandise goods has been severely disrupted. Proceeding from the importance of discussions and sharing of experiences to pave the way towards making the right decisions and bringing about thorough strategies that strengthen the monetary and financial stability, I would like to briefly present the efforts made by the Central Bank of Kuwait to achieve this goal during the previous period, and the measures it have taken to alleviate those challenges and develop a mechanism for follow-up thereon and a plan for safe exit.   Speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Basel A. Al-Haroon, in the 46th Ordinary Session of the Council of the Governors of the Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities, held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 18, 2022. Page 1 of 4  In line with its proactive approach adopted since March 2020, the Central Bank of Kuwait has taken several measures and actions through its various monetary, supervisory and hedging instruments.