SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's central bank has named three domestic and four foreign lenders in the list of domestic systematically important banks and proposed a regulatory framework for their supervision.
The list released on Thursday included DBS Bank (SI:DBSM), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (SI:OCBC), United Overseas Bank (SI:UOBH), Citibank (N:C), Malayan Banking Bhd (KL:MBBM), Standard Chartered (L:STAN) and HSBC (L:HSBA).
Tougher rules have been adopted around the world since the 2008 financial crisis to ensure banks are better positioned to withstand unexpected losses.
Regulators are also trying to protect their home turf by forcing global banks to ring-fence their retail operations in overseas markets.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in the statement that the named banks will need a minimum common equity Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 6.5 percent, Tier 1 CAR of 8 percent and total CAR of 10 percent.
This compares with the Basel III minimum requirements of 4.5 percent, 6 percent and 8 percent respectively.
Singapore banks have traditionally maintained higher capital buffers, helping the city state to rank as Asia's most vibrant wealth management centre.
The MAS said that other measures, such as recovery and resolution planning, liquidity coverage ratio requirements and enhanced disclosures, will also apply to these banks.
The move comes after Singapore announced a plan in 2012 to force foreign banks with a relatively large share of deposits in the city state to incorporate their retail operations locally, forcing them to commit more capital there (http://reut.rs/1GyHdxP).