Publication: South Africa - Financial Sector Assessment
Loading...
Date
2022-01-01
ISSN
Published
2022-01-01
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The South African financial system has weathered the shock of COVID-19 but faces growing risks emanating from a weak macroeconomic outlook. The pandemic crisis hit South Africa hard, with nonresident capital outflows accelerating and the domestic and global slowdown precipitating a6.4 percent GDP contraction in 2020. A brief period of liquidity stress was managed with new central bank facilities and a lowering of liquidity requirements; and banks proved resilient thanks to sound capital and liquidity buffers. Asset management and pension assets saw falling valuations, but redemption pressures quickly dissipated as markets stabilized. The intensification of the sovereign financial system nexus emerging from the crisis poses risks going forward, and a resurgence of the pandemic could deteriorate asset quality. Banks are resilient in the FSAP’s baseline; however, amedium-term adverse stress scenario would cause a significant decline in capital although most banks would remain sufficiently capitalized. Under stress, banks could face some liquidity gaps, particularly at very short maturities, highlighting the importance of continued close monitoring. The impact of COVID-19 on insurers has thus far been contained, but prudential rules should be strengthened to ensure the measure of capital is sufficiently robust.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2022. South Africa - Financial Sector Assessment. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37079 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication South Africa Economic Update, Edition 13(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06)South Africa is set to emerge from the crisis weaker than it had been going into it. However, this Economic Update argues that the reasons for low growth and high unemployment do not lie in the government’s crisis response, which has generally been sound. Growth is expected to reach 4 percent in 2021, slowing to 2.1 percent in 2022 and 1.5 by 2023. The global recovery is helping South Africa, especially given strong performance by China and the United States, two of its main trading partners. With deeper economic reforms, South Africa could benefit even more from the high growth in its trading partners. Low-wage workers suffered almost four times more job losses than did high-wage ones. Although a modest job recovery has started, it is at risk from the severe third wave of the pandemic. Self-employment represents only 10 percent of all jobs, as against 30 percent in most upper-middle-income economies, such as Turkey, Mexico, and Brazil. The emerging start-up sector in South Africa could help close this gap.Publication An Exploration of Nature-Related Financial Risks in Malaysia(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-03)Malaysia is one of the world's megadiverse countries, and many of its economic activities are directly or indirectly dependent on nature and its associated ecosystem services.' The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with its far-reaching economic impacts, is a reminder of the link between human health and planetary health, given that most human infectious diseases are transmitted between species. In parallel to climate-related risks, nature-related risks can lead to economic and financial losses. Central banks have recently started to investigate biodiversity and other nature-related impacts and dependencies of financial systems. The NGFS, of which Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is a member, has recommended several first actions that could be taken by financial sector regulators and supervisors to help build the foundations for more comprehensive measures. BNM, as part of its mandate to promote monetary and financial stability conducive to the sustainable growth of the Malaysian economy, has an interest in understanding nature-related financial risks to the financial sector. to the financial sector. A better understanding of nature-related financial risks is important for prudential supervision to identify and address any emerging risks in the loan books and investments of banks and other financial institutions. This report assesses the exposure of Malaysian banks to sectors and regions that are highly vulnerable to nature-related risks. This study makes use of both Malaysian and global data.Publication Trade Facilitation and Gender Dimensions in South Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021)Access to international markets plays a critical role in an economy’s growth and development. Trade facilitation, the simplification, modernization, and harmonization of export and import processes has therefore emerged as an important issue for countries, as is reflected in the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA), which came into effect on February 22, 2017. Increasingly, it is recognized that women traders face particular challenges when undertaking cross-border trade, such as lack of information and knowledge of cross-border regulations and procedures, lack of physical security at border crossings, exposure to harassment and gender-based violence at borders, and corruption. This report presents the results of a survey on trade facilitation challenges faced by traders and customs agents in South Africa. The survey also explored trade facilitation challenges related to Coronavirus (COVID-19).Publication Philippines Financial Sector Assessment(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03)During the period June 2019 to October 2020 the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) teams updated the findings of the FinancialSector Assessment Program (FSAP) conducted in 2010. While the WB and IMF teams were able to visit the Philippines in 2019 in person, the 2020 missions were conducted virtually. This report summarizes the main findings of the mission, and provides policy recommendations.Publication South Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-05)Despite being an upper middle income country, South Africa’s high inequality and the long-lasting legacies of apartheid mean that the country is faced with numerous development challenges, many of which are characteristic of countries with much lower incomes. This paper focuses on social assistance and, specifically, the system of social grants in South Africa. This report aims to review the social assistance system in South Africa to first understand how it functions and what kinds of benefits it provides through which programs, and what tools and systems it uses to do so. Second, it reviews the performance of the system in terms of coverage, targeting, benefit incidence, adequacy, cost-effectiveness, and outcomes. Third, it assesses the extent to which the system is aligned and equipped to address the so called “triple challenge” of poverty, inequality, and unemployment as shown by data. It also reviews the limitations in the design, delivery systems, and institutional coordination at different administrative levels. Based on the analysis, this paper provides some recommendation for what adjustments and improvement the South African social assistance system could undertake in the next fi ve years in order to better align the system address the structural causes of poverty and inequality in addition to providing relief and income support. The report concludes and provides some policy and programme recommendations for the future.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-05)Digitalization is the transformational opportunity of our time. The digital sector has become a powerhouse of innovation, economic growth, and job creation. Value added in the IT services sector grew at 8 percent annually during 2000–22, nearly twice as fast as the global economy. Employment growth in IT services reached 7 percent annually, six times higher than total employment growth. The diffusion and adoption of digital technologies are just as critical as their invention. Digital uptake has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.5 billion new internet users added from 2018 to 2022. The share of firms investing in digital solutions around the world has more than doubled from 2020 to 2022. Low-income countries, vulnerable populations, and small firms, however, have been falling behind, while transformative digital innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) have been accelerating in higher-income countries. Although more than 90 percent of the population in high-income countries was online in 2022, only one in four people in low-income countries used the internet, and the speed of their connection was typically only a small fraction of that in wealthier countries. As businesses in technologically advanced countries integrate generative AI into their products and services, less than half of the businesses in many low- and middle-income countries have an internet connection. The growing digital divide is exacerbating the poverty and productivity gaps between richer and poorer economies. The Digital Progress and Trends Report series will track global digitalization progress and highlight policy trends, debates, and implications for low- and middle-income countries. The series adds to the global efforts to study the progress and trends of digitalization in two main ways: · By compiling, curating, and analyzing data from diverse sources to present a comprehensive picture of digitalization in low- and middle-income countries, including in-depth analyses on understudied topics. · By developing insights on policy opportunities, challenges, and debates and reflecting the perspectives of various stakeholders and the World Bank’s operational experiences. This report, the first in the series, aims to inform evidence-based policy making and motivate action among internal and external audiences and stakeholders. The report will bring global attention to high-performing countries that have valuable experience to share as well as to areas where efforts will need to be redoubled.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10)The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.Publication The Container Port Performance Index 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-18)The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy. These stakeholders include port authorities and operators, national governments, supranational organizations, development agencies, and other public and private players in trade and logistics. The index highlights where vessel time in container ports could be improved. Streamlining these processes would benefit all parties involved, including shipping lines, national governments, and consumers. This fourth edition of the CPPI relies on data from 405 container ports with at least 24 container ship port calls in the calendar year 2023. As in earlier editions of the CPPI, the ranking employs two different methodological approaches: an administrative (technical) approach and a statistical approach (using matrix factorization). Combining these two approaches ensures that the overall ranking of container ports reflects actual port performance as closely as possible while also being statistically robust. The CPPI methodology assesses the sequential steps of a container ship port call. ‘Total port hours’ refers to the total time elapsed from the moment a ship arrives at the port until the vessel leaves the berth after completing its cargo operations. The CPPI uses time as an indicator because time is very important to shipping lines, ports, and the entire logistics chain. However, time, as captured by the CPPI, is not the only way to measure port efficiency, so it does not tell the entire story of a port’s performance. Factors that can influence the time vessels spend in ports can be location-specific and under the port’s control (endogenous) or external and beyond the control of the port (exogenous). The CPPI measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative data only, which do not reveal the underlying factors or root causes of extended port times. A detailed port-specific diagnostic would be required to assess the contribution of underlying factors to the time a vessel spends in port. A very low ranking or a significant change in ranking may warrant special attention, for which the World Bank generally recommends a detailed diagnostic.Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-01-09)Note: Chart 1.2.B has been updated on January 18, 2024. Chart 2.2.3 B has been updated on January 14, 2024. Global growth is expected to slow further this year, reflecting the lagged and ongoing effects of tight monetary policy to rein in inflation, restrictive credit conditions, and anemic global trade and investment. Downside risks include an escalation of the recent conflict in the Middle East, financial stress, persistent inflation, weaker-than-expected activity in China, trade fragmentation, and climate-related disasters. Against this backdrop, policy makers face enormous challenges. In emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), commodity exporters face the enduring challenges posed by fiscal policy procyclicality and volatility, which highlight the need for robust fiscal frameworks. Across EMDEs, previous episodes of investment growth acceleration underscore the critical importance of macroeconomic and structural policies and an enabling institutional environment in bolstering investment and long-term growth. At the global level, cooperation needs to be strengthened to provide debt relief, facilitate trade integration, tackle climate change, and alleviate food insecurity.