SAN JOSE, California - US business intelligence software firm Business Objects said in June it has signed an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with FRS to help banks reduce the time and cost of complying with the Basel II bank minimum capital regime.

Basel regulators consider a vexed problem that pitches the interests of bank groups against those of host countries.

A slew of consultation papers on Europe’s Solvency II plans has elicited a range of concerns, including fears over how minimum capital requirements will be calculated, reports David Keefe.

LONDON - Banks in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and the Nordic region look likely to be among the winners under the proposed New Basel Capital Accord. By contrast, banks in Italy, Germany and the Benelux countries could be among the losers, according to a new study published in June.

BRUSSELS- European Commission officials say publication of a staff paper on the organisation of work on the Solvency II project for risk-based rules on insurance company safety has been postponed until after the early-July review by the European parliament of the so-called Lamfalussy process.

NEW YORK - US subsidiaries of foreign banks were urged by a senior US banking regulator to let both their US and home country supervisors know of any problems the US application of the Basel II capital rules might cause them.

PARIS - Regulators in Asian countries need to promote sound corporate-governance practices in their banking sectors to help restore confidence in the region\'s debt and share markets, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

A group of US insurance firms convened by American International Group (AIG), the world\'s largest insurer, plans to state in early July its objections as a group to the accounting reforms proposed by the International Accounting Standards Board.

Risk-based supervision in place for some years. Major banks investing heavily in risk management systems

IAIS\'s new secretary general explains why regulators are worried about treatment that ignores the close asset/liability link in insurance Interview by David Keefe Interview: Yoshihiro Kawai, the new secretary general of the IAIS