Sunday, July 3, 2011

Who on earth authorized the Basel Committee to do more than regulate or supervise banks?

The Basel Committee for Banking Supervision, whose recommendations the USA has committed to follow, has decided that when a bank lends to the government it requires zero capital but that when it lends to a small businesses or entrepreneur, it needs 8 percent of generously defined bank capital (Basel II), or 7 percent of more strictly defined bank capital (Basel III).

In doing so the Basel Committee is doing much more than regulating and supervising banks, it is de-facto introducing a monstrous, almost communistic, pro-government bias into the world’s financial system, as well as an unexplained risk-adverseness that could easily jeopardize the creation of the next generation of decent jobs. 

Besides it is utterly stupid because never ever has a bank crisis originated because of excessive lending to those who like small businesses or entrepreneurs are perceived as more risky, and therefore already pay higher interest rates, which goes into the capital accounts of the banks.

Who on earth authorized the Basel Committee to do what they do and which, by the way, sounds so un-American?