Basel III
The international regulatory framework for bank capital, leverage and liquidity - the post-2008 reform that shapes how every modern bank operates.
What Basel III sets
Basel III is the package of international banking standards published by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision following the 2008 crisis. It introduces or strengthens:
- Capital adequacy - higher CET1, Tier 1 and total capital ratios.
- Liquidity - LCR (short-term) and NSFR (structural).
- Leverage ratio - non-risk-weighted backstop.
- Counter-cyclical and systemic buffers.
Basel III "final" / Basel IV
The 2017 Basel III finalisation package - informally "Basel IV" - recalibrates internal-ratings-based approaches, introduces the output floor (72.5%) and overhauls operational and market-risk frameworks. In the EU it is transposed via CRR3 / CRD6 with phased application starting 2025.
Where it touches compliance teams
Basel III is a prudential framework, but it intersects compliance through Pillar 3 disclosures, ICAAP/ILAAP processes, recovery and resolution planning under BRRD, and the increasing convergence with operational-resilience standards under DORA.