Ladies and gentlemen, there are small risks and big risks. There are risks that affect a single 1/2  BIS central bankers' speeches  bank and risks that affect the entire sector. And then there are risks that stretch across sectors and even countries. In that regard, there is one thing that comes to mind: Brexit. Right now, it is still very unclear how the world will look after the UK has left the EU. Still, banks and supervisors must prepare for any scenario. The worst case would certainly be a “hard Brexit”. In that scenario, the UK would become a “third country” from the viewpoint of the EU. As a result, UK banks might lose their European passport and, with it, access to the Single Market. This would affect many of the 40 UK banking groups that currently operate in the Single Market. They would then have to find another way in. Most likely, they would seek to obtain a banking licence in an EU country to regain the passport. In the euro area, these licences are granted by the ECB. We obviously don’t care whether UK banks move to Frankfurt, Dublin, Paris or some other location in the euro area. What we care about are safe and sound banks. We will therefore resist any supervisory or regulatory race to the bottom. Any bank that moves to the euro area will have to meet our standards – regardless of whether it comes from the UK or any other place.
Hourly labour costs for a Swedish manufacturing worker were on average 8 per cent higher than for a Norwegian manufacturing worker in 1980 measured in common currency. In 2004, however, hourly labour costs for a Swedish manufacturing worker was almost 20 per cent lower2. Competitiveness in Norway’s manufacturing industry is now close to 20 per cent weaker than the average for the past 30 years. Norwegians had to pay close to 138 Norwegian kroner for 100 Swedish kronar in 1970. Today, we only have to pay a little more than 90 Norwegian kroner. The appreciation of the Norwegian krone has made it less expensive to buy goods and services in Sweden. During longer periods, the exchange rate seems to have been influenced by changes in prices for export goods and import goods in the two countries. In the 10 years to 1983, the Norwegian krone showed a particularly strong appreciation against the Swedish krona. This occurred at the same time as Norway experienced far more favourable developments in prices for its export goods relative to import goods than was the case for Sweden. Norway’s terms of trade improved. In the 1970s, the sharp rise in oil prices contributed to this. In practice, the appreciation of the Norwegian krone against the Swedish krona occurred when the Swedish authorities devalued their currency more than the Norwegian authorities. The authorities devalued against a basket of currencies. In Sweden, the Palme government’s devaluation of 16 per cent in October 1982 was particularly strong.