Payment Systems Report - June of 2021

Banco de la República provides a comprehensive overview of Colombia’s finan¬cial infrastructure in its Payment Systems Report, which is an important product of the work it does to oversee that infrastructure. The figures published in this edition of the report are for the year 2020, a pandemic period in which the con¬tainment measures designed and adopted to alleviate the strain on the health system led to a sharp reduction in economic activity and consumption in Colom¬bia, as was the case in most countries. At the start of the pandemic, the Board of Directors of Banco de la República adopted decisions that were necessary to supply the market with ample liquid¬ity in pesos and US dollars to guarantee market stability, protect the payment system and preserve the supply of credit. The pronounced growth in mone¬tary aggregates reflected an increased preference for liquidity, which Banco de la República addressed at the right time. These decisions were implemented through operations that were cleared and settled via the financial infrastructure. The second section of this report, following the introduction, offers an analysis of how the various financial infrastructures in Colombia have evolved and per¬formed. One of the highlights is the large-value payment system (CUD), which registered more momentum in 2020 than during the previous year, mainly be¬cause of an increase in average daily remunerated deposits made with Banco de la República by the General Directorate of Public Credit and the National Treasury (DGCPTN), as well as more activity in the sell/buy-back market with sovereign debt. Consequently, with more activity in the CUD, the Central Securi¬ties Depository (DCV) experienced an added impetus sparked by an increase in the money market for bonds and securities placed on the primary market by the national government. The value of operations cleared and settled through the Colombian Central Counterparty (CRCC) continues to grow, propelled largely by peso/dollar non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts. With respect to the CRCC, it is important to note this clearing house has been in charge of managing risks and clearing and settling operations in the peso/dollar spot market since the end of last year, following its merger with the Foreign Exchange Clearing House of Colombia (CCDC). Since the final quarter of 2020, the CRCC has also been re¬sponsible for clearing and settlement in the equities market, which was former¬ly done by the Colombian Stock Exchange (BVC). The third section of this report provides an all-inclusive view of payments in the market for goods and services; namely, transactions carried out by members of the public and non-financial institutions. During the pandemic, inter- and intra-bank electronic funds transfers, which originate mostly with companies, increased in both the number and value of transactions with respect to 2019. However, debit and credit card payments, which are made largely by private citizens, declined compared to 2019. The incidence of payment by check contin¬ue to drop, exhibiting quite a pronounced downward trend during the past last year. To supplement to the information on electronic funds transfers, section three includes a segment (Box 4) characterizing the population with savings and checking accounts, based on data from a survey by Banco de la República con-cerning the perception of the use of payment instruments in 2019. There also is segment (Box 2) on the growth in transactions with a mobile wallet provided by a company specialized in electronic deposits and payments (Sedpe). It shows the number of users and the value of their transactions have increased since the wallet was introduced in late 2017, particularly during the pandemic. In addition, there is a diagnosis of the effects of the pandemic on the payment patterns of the population, based on data related to the use of cash in circu¬lation, payments with electronic instruments, and consumption and consumer confidence. The conclusion is that the collapse in the consumer confidence in¬dex and the drop in private consumption led to changes in the public’s pay¬ment patterns. Credit and debit card purchases were down, while payments for goods and services through electronic funds transfers increased. These findings, coupled with the considerable increase in cash in circulation, might indicate a possible precautionary cash hoarding by individuals and more use of cash as a payment instrument. There is also a segment (in Focus 3) on the major changes introduced in regulations on the retail-value payment system in Colombia, as provided for in Decree 1692 of December 2020. The fourth section of this report refers to the important innovations and tech¬nological changes that have occurred in the retail-value payment system. Four themes are highlighted in this respect. The first is a key point in building the financial infrastructure for instant payments. It involves of the design and im¬plementation of overlay schemes, a technological development that allows the various participants in the payment chain to communicate openly. The result is a high degree of interoperability among the different payment service providers. The second topic explores developments in the international debate on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The purpose is to understand how it could impact the retail-value payment system and the use of cash if it were to be issued. The third topic is related to new forms of payment initiation, such as QR codes, bio¬metrics or near field communication (NFC) technology. These seemingly small changes can have a major impact on the user’s experience with the retail-value payment system. The fourth theme is the growth in payments via mobile tele¬phone and the internet. The report ends in section five with a review of two papers on applied research done at Banco de la República in 2020. The first analyzes the extent of the CRCC’s capital, acknowledging the relevant role this infrastructure has acquired in pro¬viding clearing and settlement services for various financial markets in Colom¬bia. The capital requirements defined for central counterparties in some jurisdic¬tions are explored, and the risks to be hedged are identified from the standpoint of the service these type of institutions offer to the market and those associated with their corporate activity. The CRCC’s capital levels are analyzed in light of what has been observed in the European Union’s regulations, and the conclusion is that the CRCC has a scheme of security rings very similar to those applied internationally and the extent of its capital exceeds what is stipulated in Colombian regulations, being sufficient to hedge other risks. The second study presents an algorithm used to identify and quantify the liquidity sources that CUD’s participants use under normal conditions to meet their daily obligations in the local financial market. This algorithm can be used as a tool to monitor intraday liquidity. Leonardo Villar Gómez Governo

Payment Systems Report - June of 2020

With its annual Payment Systems Report, Banco de la República offers a complete overview of the infrastructure of Colombia’s financial market. Each edition of the report has four objectives: 1) to publicize a consolidated account of how the figures for payment infrastructures have evolved with respect to both financial assets and goods and services; 2) to summarize the issues that are being debated internationally and are of interest to the industry that provides payment clearing and settlement services; 3) to offer the public an explanation of the ideas and concepts behind retail-value payment processes and the trends in retail payments within the circuit of individuals and companies; and 4) to familiarize the public, the industry, and all other financial authorities with the methodological progress that has been achieved through applied research to analyze the stability of payment systems. This edition introduces changes that have been made in the structure of the report, which are intended to make it easier and more enjoyable to read. The initial sections in this edition, which is the eleventh, contain an analysis of the statistics on the evolution and performance of financial market infrastructures. These are understood as multilateral systems wherein the participating entities clear, settle and register payments, securities, derivatives and other financial assets. The large-value payment system (CUD) saw less momentum in 2019 than it did the year before, mainly because of a decline in the amount of secondary market operations for government bonds, both in cash and sell/buy-backs, which was offset by an increase in operations with collective investment funds (CIFs) and Banco de la República’s operations to increase the money supply (repos). Consequently, the Central Securities Depository (DCV) registered less activity, due to fewer negotiations on the secondary market for public debt. This trend was also observed in the private debt market, as evidenced by the decline in the average amounts cleared and settled through the Central Securities Depository of Colombia (Deceval) and in the value of operations with financial derivatives cleared and settled through the Central Counterparty of Colombia (CRCC). Section three offers a comprehensive look at the market for retail-value payments; that is, transactions made by individuals and companies. During 2019, electronic transfers increased, and payments made with debit and credit cards continued to trend upward. In contrast, payments by check continued to decline, although the average daily value was almost four times the value of debit and credit card purchases. The same section contains the results of the fourth survey on how the use of retail-value payment instruments (for usual payments) is perceived. Conducted at the end of 2019, the main purpose of the survey was to identify the availability of these payment instruments, the public’s preferences for them, and their acceptance by merchants. It is worth noting that cash continues to be the instrument most used by the population for usual monthly payments (88.1% with respect to the number of payments and 87.4% in value). However, its use in terms of value has declined, having registered 89.6% in the 2017 survey. In turn, the level of acceptance by merchants of payment instruments other than cash is 14.1% for debit cards, 13.4% for credit cards, 8.2% for electronic transfers of funds and 1.8% for checks. The main reason for the use of cash is the absence of point-of-sale terminals at commercial establishments. Considering that the retail-payment market worldwide is influenced by constant innovation in payment services, by the modernization of clearing and settlement systems, and by the efforts of regulators to redefine the payment industry for the future, these trends are addressed in the fourth section of the report. There is an account of how innovations in technology-based financial payment services have developed, and it shows that while this topic is not new, it has evolved, particularly in terms of origin and vocation. One of the boxes that accompanies the fourth section deals with certain payment aspects of open banking and international experience in that regard, which has given the customers of a financial entity sovereignty over their data, allowing them, under transparent and secure conditions, to authorize a third party, other than their financial entity, to request information on their accounts with financial entities, thus enabling the third party to offer various financial services or initiate payments. Innovation also has sparked interest among international organizations, central banks, and research groups concerning the creation of digital currencies. Accordingly, the last box deals with the recent international debate on issuance of central bank digital currencies. In terms of the methodological progress that has been made, it is important to underscore the work that has been done on the role of central counterparties (CCPs) in mitigating liquidity and counterparty risk. The fifth section of the report offers an explanation of a document in which the work of CCPs in financial markets is analyzed and corroborated through an exercise that was built around the Central Counterparty of Colombia (CRCC) in the Colombian market for non-delivery peso-dollar forward exchange transactions, using the methodology of network topology. The results provide empirical support for the different theoretical models developed to study the effect of CCPs on financial markets. Finally, the results of research using artificial intelligence with information from the large-value payment system are presented. Based on the payments made among financial institutions in the large-value payment system, a methodology is used to compare different payment networks, as well as to determine which ones can be considered abnormal. The methodology shows signs that indicate when a network moves away from its historical trend, so it can be studied and monitored. A methodology similar to the one applied to classify images is used to make this comparison, the idea being to extract the main characteristics of the networks and use them as a parameter for comparison. Juan José Echavarría Governo

Financial Infrastructure Report 2022

Banco de la República's monitoring of the local financial market infrastructure is an additional contribution to the country's financial stability. One of the products of that monitoring has been the Payment Systems Report, which is now known as the Financial Infrastructure Report. The change in name, as of this edition, is intended to reflect in a broader way the issues that are addressed in the report. The 2022 edition includes several changes that are the result of a comparative study of financial infrastructure reports prepared by other central banks. These changes seek to make the report more fluid and easier to read, including main points and selected key figures for the different interest groups to which it is addressed. The report shows the financial infrastructure continued to render its services without interruption, with general evidence of good performance in 2021. Additionally, the resilience of the Central Counterparty Risk of Colombia (CRCC) and the Large-value Payments System (CUD) to extreme events was validated, based on stress tests conducted according to international standards (focused on liquidity and credit risk). As for retail payments, transactional information indicates the use of electronic instruments increased in terms of value during 2021 compared to 2020 (credit and debit cards, checks and electronic funds transfers). The use of debit and credit cards in payments rose to levels similar to those reached in the pre-pandemic year. Meanwhile, electronic funds transfers continued to grow. Although the results of the BR 2022 survey show cash continues to be the instrument most used by the public for regular payments (like the situation in other countries), the perception of its use decreased significantly to 75 % (87 % in 2019). Also, in commerce, cash was the preferred instrument for customers. However, in this measurement, several retail channels such as hairdressers, drugstores and restaurants joined the group that has traditionally received electronic payments for a value greater than 10% of their sales (hypermarkets and gas stations). Likewise, for nearly 50% of the population, cash payments are lower than before the pandemic. This is consistent with the transactional increase in electronic payment instruments that was observed in 2021. Banco de la República continues to monitor the technological developments that have expanded and modernized the supply in the international and local payments market, as these are issues of interest to the industry that provides clearing and settlement services. This report outlines the Pix case for instant payments in Brazil, the projects that are underway regarding the possible issue of digital currency by central banks (CBDC) for cross-border payments, as well as an approach to the Fintech ecosystem in Colombia, with an emphasis on companies that provide payment services. Leonardo Villar Governor Main points: 2022 The local financial infrastructure was safe and efficient throughout the year. The services of the financial infrastructure were proved on a continuous basis, showing good performance overall. Less momentum in the large-value payment system CUD activity declined versus the previous year because of fewer government deposits with BanRep. This was offset partially by growth in repos to increase money supply and in retail-value payments (electronic funds transfers, checks and cards). Increased momentum in financial market infrastructures. Larger amounts were cleared and settled through the Central Securities Depository (DCV) due to an increase in the market for sovereign debt. Operations managed by the Central Counterparty Risk of Colombia (CRCC) increased due to inclusion of the foreign exchange segment and the positive evolution in non-delivery forward peso/dollar contracts. Added confidence in the peso/dollar spot foreign exchange market due to CRCC interposition. Number and value of trades grew, mainly due to the adjustment of therisk management model for the FX segment and the increase in the limiton net selling positions in dollars. Stress testing with international standards to validate CRCC and CUD resilience Stress tests conducted independently by the SFC, BanRep and the CRCC, like those done in England and the United States, concluded that the CRCC's risk management model allows it to withstand extreme market events and simultaneous defaults by its main members. Based on the experience of other central banks, BanRep strengthened its intraday liquidity risk stress exercises in the CUD by incorporating temporary payment delays. It calculated that a two-hour delay by a key participant increases the system's liquidity needs by 0.5%. Electronic payments increased during 2021 According to transactional information, all electronic payment instruments increased in value versus 2020 (electronic funds transfers, checks and debit and credit cards). Electronic funds transfers continued to grow (80% from legal entities), with the participation of closed schemes driven particularly by the use of mobile wallets (35% of the number of intra-transfer transactions). The use of debit and credit cards for payments climbed to levels similar to those witnessed in the pre-pandemic year. Cash continues to be the instrument most used by the public for regular payments. The results of the BanRep survey in 2022 show that the perception of the use of cash declined significantly to 75% (87% in 2019), and about 50% of the population perceive their cash payments as being lower than those they made before the pandemic. Electronic funds transfers were second most used instrument, having increased to 15% (3% in 2019). Also, in commerce, cash was the preferred instrument of payment for its customers; however, several commerce channels received more than 10% of the value of their sales in electronic payments (hypermarkets 35%, gas stations 25%, hairdressers 15%, drugstores 14% and restaurants 12%). Continuous technological developments have broadened, and modernized services offered in the payments market. Pix (instant payments in Brazil). The high level of adoption of instant transfers in Brazil motivated a review of its strengths; namely, the possibility of different use cases between individuals, businesses, and government; high participation by financial and payment institutions; free of charge for individuals and the possibility of charging legal entities, and simple user experience. Digital currencies in central banking. Several groups of countries have joined forces to conduct pilot projects with wholesale CBDCs for cross-border payments. Flows generated by international trade, foreign investment and remittances between individuals can be processed more efficiently, transparently, and securely by reducing their cost and increasing their speed. Due to the constant progress being made on this issue, BanRep will continue to monitor all CBDC-related matters. The fintech ecosystem for payments in Colombia. A high percentage of existing FinTech companies in the country are dedicated to offering digital payment services: wallets, payment gateways, mobile devices (point-of-sale terminals) and acquisition. These have driven innovation in payment services

Reporte Estabilidad Financiera - Primer Semestre de 2020

In the face of the multiple shocks currently experienced by the domestic economy (resulting from the drop in oil prices and the appearance of a global pandemic), the Colombian financial system is in a position of sound solvency and adequate liquidity. At the same time, credit quality has been recovering and the exposure of credit institutions to firms with currency mismatches has declined relative to previous episodes of sudden drops in oil prices. These trends are reflected in the recent fading of red and blue tonalities in the performance and credit risk segments of the risk heatmaps in Graphs A and B.1 Naturally, the sudden, unanticipated change in macroeconomic conditions has caused the appearance of vulnerabilities for short-term financial stability. These vulnerabilities require close and continuous monitoring on the part of economic authorities. The main vulnerability is the response of credit and credit risk to a potential, temporarily extreme macroeconomic situation in the context of: (i) recently increased exposure of some banks to household sector, and (ii) reductions in net interest income that have led to a decline in the profitability of the banking business in the recent past. Furthermore, as a consequence of greater uncertainty and risk aversion, occasional problems may arise in the distribution of liquidity between agents and financial markets. With regards to local markets, spikes have been registered in the volatility of public and private fixed income securities in recent weeks that are consistent with the behavior of the international markets and have had a significant impact on the liquidity of those instruments (red portions in the most recent past of some market risk items on the map in Graph A). In order to adopt a forward-looking approach to those vulnerabilities, this Report presents a stress test that evaluates the resilience of credit institutions in the event of a hypothetical scenario thatseeks to simulate an extreme version of current macroeconomic conditions. The scenario assumes a hypothetical negative growth that is temporarily strong but recovers going into the middle of the coming year and has extreme effects on credit quality. The results suggest that credit institutions have the ability to withstand a significant deterioration in economic conditions in the short term. Even though there could be a strong impact on credit, liquidity, and profitability under the scenario being considered, aggregate capital ratios would probably remain at above their regulatory limits over the horizon of a year. In this context, the recent measures taken by both Banco de la República and the Office of the Financial Superintendent of Colombia that are intended to help preserve the financial stability of the Colombian economy become highly relevant. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system’s security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions that are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth functioning of the payment system. Juan José Echavarría Governo

Financial Stability Report - Second Semester of 2020

The Colombian financial system has not suffered major structural disruptions during these months of deep economic contraction and has continued to carry out its basic functions as usual, thus facilitating the economy's response to extreme conditions. This is the result of the soundness of financial institutions at the beginning of the crisis, which was reflected in high liquidity and capital adequacy indicators as well as in the timely response of various authorities. Banco de la República lowered its policy interest rates 250 points to 1.75%, the lowest level since the creation of the new independent bank in 1991, and provided ample temporary and permanent liquidity in both pesos and foreign currency. The Office of the Financial Superintendent of Colombia, in turn, adopted prudential measures to facilitate changes in the conditions for loans in effect and temporary rules for rating and loan-loss provisions. Finally, the national government expanded the transfers as well as the guaranteed credit programs for the economy. The supply of real credit (i.e. discounting inflation) in the economy is 4% higher today than it was 12 months ago with especially marked growth in the housing (5.6%) and commercial (4.7%) loan portfolios (2.3% in consumer and -0.1% in microloans), but there have been significant changes over time. During the first few months of the quarantine, firms increased their demands for liquidity sharply while consumers reduced theirs. Since then, the growth of credit to firms has tended to slow down, while consumer and housing credit has grown. The financial system has responded satisfactorily to the changes in the respective demands of each group or sector and loans may grow at high rates in 2021 if GDP grows at rates close to 4.6% as the technical staff at the Bank expects; but the forecasts are highly uncertain. After the strict quarantine implemented by authorities in Colombia, the turmoil seen in March and early April, which was evident in the sudden reddening of macroeconomic variables on the risk heatmap in Graph A,[1] and the drop in crude oil and coal prices (note the high volatility registered in market risk for the region on Graph A) the local financial markets stabilized relatively quickly. Banco de la República’s credible and sustained policy response played a decisive role in this stabilization in terms of liquidity provision through a sharp expansion of repo operations (and changes in amounts, terms, counterparties, and eligible instruments), the purchases of public and private debt, and the reduction in bank reserve requirements. In this respect, there is now abundant aggregate liquidity and significant improvements in the liquidity position of investment funds. In this context, the main vulnerability factor for financial stability in the short term is still the high degree of uncertainty surrounding loan quality. First, the future trajectory of the number of people infected and deceased by the virus and the possible need for additional health measures is uncertain. For that reason, there is also uncertainty about the path for economic recovery in the short and medium term. Second, the degree to which the current shock will be reflected in loan quality once the risk materializes in banks’ financial statements is uncertain. For the time being, the credit risk heatmap (Graph B) indicates that non-performing and risky loans have not shown major deterioration, but past experience indicates that periods of sharp economic slowdown eventually tend to coincide with rises in non-performing loans: the calculations included in this report suggest that the impact of the recession on credit quality could be significant in the short term. This is particularly worrying since the profitability of credit establishments has been declining in recent months, and this could affect their ability to provide credit to the real sector of the economy. In order to adopt a forward-looking approach to this vulnerability, this Report presents several stress tests that evaluate the resilience of the liquidity and capital adequacy of credit institutions and investment funds in the event of a hypothetical scenario that seeks to simulate an extreme version of current macroeconomic conditions. The results suggest that even though there could be strong impacts on the credit institutions’ volume of credit and profitability under such scenarios, aggregate indicators of total and core capital adequacy will probably remain at levels that are above the regulatory limits over the horizon of a year. At the same time, the exercises highlight the high capacity of the system's liquidity to face adverse scenarios. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system's security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions that are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth operation of the payment systems. Juan José Echavarría Governo

Foreign Reserves Management 2019

La Constitución Política de Colombia y la Ley 31 de 1992, artículo 14, asignan al Banco de la República la función de administrar las reservas internacionales. Asimismo, definen que estas deben ser manejadas con criterios de seguridad, liquidez y rentabilidad. El propósito de este documento es explicar la gestión de las reservas internacionales de Colombia, las cuales ascendían a USD 48.392 millones (m) a diciembre de 2018. Primero, se introducen los principales conceptos asociados con las reservas internacionales y el marco en el cual se fundamenta su gestión por parte del Banco. Posteriormente, se detalla la política de administración y los aspectos fundamentales de su operatividad. Por último, se realiza un recuento sobre el estado actual de las reservas.The Colombian Constitution and Law 31/1992 (Article 14) assigned Banco de la República a mandate to manage Colombia’s foreign reserves. Likewise, they also stipulate that the criteria to manage foreign reserves are safety, liquidity, and return. The purpose of this report is to explain how Colombia’s foreign reserves are managed. At December 2018, they amounted to USD 48,392 million (m). The report begins with a description of the main concepts associated with foreign reserves and outlines the framework on which its management by the Bank is based. It then describes, in detail, the policy for managing foreign reserves, as well as the fundamental aspects of its operation. The report ends with an account of the current state of the country’s foreig

Foreign Reserves Management 2021

La Constitución Política de Colombia y la Ley 31 de 1992, artículo 14, asignan al Banco de la República la función de administrar las reservas internacionales. Así mismo, definen que estas deben ser manejadas con criterios de seguridad, liquidez y rentabilidad. El propósito de este documento es explicar la gestión de las reservas internacionales de Colombia, las cuales ascendían a USD 59.031 millones (m) a diciembre de 2020. Primero, se introducen los principales conceptos asociados con las reservas internacionales y el marco en el cual se fundamenta su gestión por parte del Banco. Posteriormente, se detalla la política de administración y los aspectos fundamentales de su operatividad. Por último, se realiza un recuento sobre el estado actual de las reservas. Recuadro 1 - Indicadores de liquidez de las reservas internacionales Recuadro 2 - Definición de índices de referencia: introducción de expectativas neutrales en el proceso de optimizaciónThe Colombian Constitution and Law 31/1992 (Article 14) give Banco de la República a mandate to manage Colombia’s foreign reserves, in addition to stipulating the criteria on managing these reserves, which are safety, liquidity and return. The purpose of this report is to explain how Colombia’s foreign reserves are managed. As of December 2020, net foreign reserves amounted to USD 59,031. The report begins with a description of the main concepts associated with foreign reserves and outlines the framework on which their management by the Bank is based. It then describes, in detail, the policy for managing these reserves, as well as the fundamental aspects of its operation. The report ends with a description of the current state of the country’s foreign reserves. Box 1 - Foreign Reserve Liquidity Indicators Box 2 - Defining Benchmarks: Introducing Neutral Expectations to the Optimization Proces

Financial Stability Report - Second Semester 2018

Este Reporte de Estabilidad Financiera cumple el objetivo de presentar la apreciación del Banco de la República sobre el desempeño reciente de los establecimientos de crédito y sus deudores, así como sobre los principales riesgos y vulnerabilidades que podrían tener algún efecto sobre la estabilidad financiera de la economía colombiana. Con este objetivo se pretende informar a los participantes en los mercados financieros y al público, además de promover el debate público sobre las tendencias y los riesgos que atañen al sistema financiero. Los resultados aquí presentados sirven también a la autoridad monetaria como base para la toma de decisiones que permitan promover la estabilidad financiera en el contexto general de los objetivos de estabilidad de precios y estabilidad macroeconómica. 1. Sistema financiero avanza en proceso de ajuste a choques macroeconómicos desde 2014: – Baja rentabilidad – Bajo crecimiento de la cartera 2. Se ha hecho evidente la resiliencia de las entidades financieras, que han mantenido indicadores sólidos de solvencia y de liquidez durante todo el proceso de ajuste. 3. La recuperación económica ha mitigado gradualmente las principales vulnerabilidades de corto plazo para la estabilidad del sistema financiero identificadas hace seis meses: – Menor crecimiento de cartera vencida – Menor crecimiento de cartera en riesgo 4. La principal vulnerabilidad que enfrenta actualmente la estabilidad financiera de la economía colombiana es el riesgo de mayores restricciones en el financiamiento externo de la economía en un contexto de incrementos de las tasas de interés globales y posibles turbulencias en economías emergentes, con los consecuentes efectos potenciales sobre la demanda agregada. 5. Continúa observándose una materialización del riesgo de crédito en sectores económicos como la construcción y la agricultura y, en menor medida, en la cartera de vivienda.This Financial Stability Report (FSR) presents the Central Bank’s appreciation on the recent performance of credit institutions and their debtors, as well as on the main risks and vulnerabilities that could affect the financial stability of the Colombian economy. The FSR is intended to keep both the participants in financial markets and the general public informed, besides promoting public debate on the trends and risks related to the financial system. The results herein presented also serve as a basis for the monetary authority to make decisions that promote financial stability in the general context of the constitutional objectives of price and macroeconomic stability. 1. Since 2014, the financial system is advancing in the process of adjustment to macroeconomic shocks: - Low profitability - Low growth of the volume of credit 2. The resilience of financial institutions, which have maintained solid solvency and liquidity indicators during the whole adjustment process, has become evident. 3. The recovery of the Colombian economy has gradually mitigated the main short-term vulnerabilities for the stability of the financial system identified six months ago: - Lower NPL growth - Lower growth of the volume of risky loans 4. The main vulnerability that the financial stability of the Colombian economy currently faces is the risk of greater restrictions on international finance in a context of rising global interest rates and possible turmoil in emerging economies with its potential effect on aggregate demand. 5. Materialization of credit risk in economic sectors such as construction and agriculture, and to a lesser extent in housing, continues to be observed

Reporte de Estabilidad Financiera - II semestre 2022

Banco de la República’s main goal is to preserve the purchasing power of the currency in coordination with the general economic policy that is intended to stabilize output and employment at long-term sustainable levels. Properly meeting the goal assigned to the Bank by the 1991 Constitution critically depends on preserving financial stability. This is understood to be a general condition in which the financial system evaluates and manages the financial risks in a way that facilitates the suitable performance of the economy and efficient allocation of resources while, at the same time, it is able to absorb, dissipate, and mitigate the appearance of risks that may arise as a result of adverse events. This Financial Stability Report meets the goal of giving Banco de la República’s diagnosis of the financial system’s and its debtors’ recent performance as well as of the main risks and vulnerabilities that could affect the stability of the Colombian economy. The Report is intended to inform the public and the participants in the financial markets about the trends and risks affecting the system and it also intends to promote public debate on this subject. The results presented here also serve as a basis for the monetary authority to assess the effects and risks of monetary policy at the current situation and to adopt measures under its purview to promote financial stability. The analysis presented in this edition of the Report leads to the conclusion that there has been a strong credit trend in Colombia in the last few months that is consistent with the strength of economic activity. Credit continues to grow (in all its categories and especially in consumer loans) while past-due and risky loans continue to decline for the aggregate portfolio. In general terms, the favorable performance of credit establishments (CIs) in a context of tighter financial conditions and greater volatility in financial markets continues to reflect the soundness and stability of the Colombian financial system. In spite of exhibiting a recent decline, CIs are keeping liquidity and capital adequacy indicators well above the regulatory minimums. Its aggregate profitability, in turn, returned to the levels seen before the pandemic shock and showed a positive performance in financial intermediation activities. With respect to non-bank financial institutions, the recent volatility of the financial markets has led to reductions in their level of assets due to the devaluations in their investment portfolios. This has been reflected mainly in reduced profitability for Trust Companies (TC) and Pension Fund Managers (PFM). In line with the positive performance of economic activity in 2021 and so far in 2022, the rapid surge in household loans in Colombia, especially consumer loans together with the high levels of household debt to disposable income ratio is still considered a source of vulnerability for the stability of the Colombian financial system just as it was in the previous edition of this Report (see section 2.2.2). In addition, given the large current account deficit and the foreign financing needs, the exposure of the Colombian economy and financial institutions to changes in financial conditions persists in a global environment of high uncertainty. In any case, the results presented in this Report indicate that the financial system has shown to be resilient to the materialization of adverse scenarios (see Chapter 3). In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system’s security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the financial stability outlook at this juncture and will make the necessary decisions to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the sufficient flow of credit and liquidity resources, and promote the smooth functioning of the payment system. Box 1: Insurance Industry Performance During the Covid-19 Pandemic - Financial Stability Report, Second Half of 2022. Gualtero-Briceño, Daniela and Pirateque-Niño, Javier Eliecer Box 2: Recent Trends in the Financial Position of Households - Financial Stability Report, Second Half of 2022. Gómez-Molina, Andrés Camilo; Mariño-Martínez, Juan Sebastián and Osorio-Rodríguez, Daniel Box 3: A Description of the Foreign Exchange Risk of Real Sector Firms in Colombia in 2021 - Financial Stability Report, Second Half of 2022. Carmona-Duarte, Alvaro; Martinez-Osorio, Adrian and Niño-Cuervo, Jorge Jorge Niñ

Financial Stability Report - March 2017

Al analizar la situación de los establecimientos de crédito (EC) entre agosto de 2016 y febrero de 2017, se observó un menor crecimiento real de la cartera, explicado principalmente por la dinámica de la cartera comercial. En cuanto a los indicadores de calidad por riesgo (ICR) y calidad por mora (ICM), se presentaron incrementos para todas las modalidades de cartera; sin embargo, estos niveles en general se mantuvieron por debajo de los observados en 2009. Con respecto a la dinámica del pasivo, este continuó con la tendencia decreciente presentada desde el segundo semestre de 2016. Por composición, los certificados de depósito a término (CDT) de mayores plazos y las cuentas de ahorro aumentaron su participación. En cuanto a las instituciones financieras no bancarias (IFNB), en febrero de 2017 se registró una desaceleración de los activos tanto en posición propia como administrada, en comparación con lo observado en agosto de 2016. Con respecto a la composición del portafolio propio y de terceros, las inversiones se concentraron principalmente en títulos de deuda pública y privada de emisores nacionales. Además, en el mismo período se observaron incrementos en el indicador de rentabilidad sobre activos (ROA) para todos los tipos de entidad. El análisis de los principales deudores del sistema financiero muestra que el sector corporativo presentó una disminución en el endeudamiento como porcentaje del PIB durante 2016. En el caso del sector privado, la reducción obedeció a que el endeudamiento con instituciones financieras nacionales creció a un ritmo menor que el producto y a que el fondeo con proveedores del exterior se redujo a causa de la apreciación de la tasa de cambio. En el caso del sector público, la disminución se dio por un menor financiamiento en moneda extranjera con entidades financieras nacionales y por una reducción, debido a la apreciación del peso, del saldo de bonos emitidos en el exterior y del endeudamiento con entidades bilaterales. El endeudamiento de los hogares se aceleró entre agosto de 2016 y febrero de 2017, principalmente en la modalidad de consumo. La dinámica anterior estuvo acompañada de una relativa estabilidad en el indicador de carga financiera calculado a nivel agregado. Por su parte, el ICM y el ICR presentaron incrementos durante este periodo, destacándose el deterioro de los créditos de libre inversión. En relación con el riesgo de mercado, la principal exposición por parte de las entidades financieras estuvo concentrada en el mercado de renta fija. Estos títulos mostraron valorizaciones durante el último semestre de 2016 y los primeros meses de 2017, impulsadas por un mayor apetito por riesgo a nivel mundial y por cambios en la postura de política monetaria local. Durante la segunda mitad de 2016 el mercado de renta variable presentó un comportamiento estable debido a la baja volatilidad del precio del petróleo. El indicador de riesgo de liquidez (IRL) muestra que los EC contaron con niveles adecuados de recursos líquidos para cumplir con sus obligaciones de corto plazo. Por su parte, la dinámica de los pasivos y el patrimonio de los EC continuó con la tendencia decreciente presentada desde mediados de 2015, destacándose la contribución negativa de los depósitos a la vista, las operaciones pasivas del mercado monetario, y los créditos de bancos y obligaciones financieras. Por otro lado, se resalta que los depósitos a término fueron el componente del pasivo que más aportó positivamente al crecimiento real anual del fondeo. Por último, el ejercicio de sensibilidad propuesto evaluó la resiliencia de los EC ante un escenario negativo (y poco probable), con un choque sobre la inversión, una caída en la confianza global sobre la economía colombiana y la materialización de un conjunto de riesgos para el sistema (riesgo de crédito, riesgo de mercado y riesgo de fondeo). Los resultados indican que el impacto del escenario hipotético sobre la solvencia total de los EC tendría una magnitud moderada. Al mismo tiempo, se observarían ciertos efectos negativos sobre el volumen de la cartera, su calidad y la rentabilidad del negocio de intermediación. Lo anterior muestra la importancia de continuar con el monitoreo cuidadoso de la situación financiera de deudores y entidades.The analysis of credit institutions between August 2016 and February 2017 showed a lower real growth of the loan portfolio, mainly explained by commercial loan-portfolio dynamics. The quality and non-performing loan indexes featured increases for all loan portfolio modalities; however, these levels remained below those observed in 2009, in general. As for liabilities, they continued with the declining trend shown since the second half of 2016. By composition, term deposit certificates at longer maturities and savings accounts increased their share. Regarding non-banking financial institutions, a slowdown was registered in assets in February 2016, both in proprietary and third-party positions, compared to that observed in August 2016. Regarding proprietary and third-party loan portfolio compositions, investments mainly concentrated in domestic issuers’ government and private debt securities. In addition, increases in the return on assets index (ROA) for all types of entities were observed in the same period. Analysis of the main debtors of the financial system shows that the corporate sector featured a decrease in debt as GDP percentage during 2016. As for the private sector, this reduction took place since debt with domestic financial institutions grew at a lower rate than the output, and that funding with overseas suppliers was reduced due to exchange-rate appreciation. Regarding the public sector, the decrease was given by lower financing in foreign currency with domestic financial institutions, and by a reduction, due to appreciation of the Colombian peso, of bonds issued abroad, and debt with bilateral entities. Household debt increased between August 2016 and February 2017, mainly in the consumer modality. This dynamics was accompanied by a relative stability in the financial burden indicator calculated at the aggregate level. On the other hand, non-performing loans and quality indexes showed increases during this period, with a highlighted deterioration of personal loans. As for market risk, the main exposure by financial institutions was concentrated in the fixed-income market. These securities exhibited valuations during the latter half of 2016 and the first months of 2017, driven by a greater global appetite for risk and by monetary policy stance changes. Variable yield market had a stable behavior due to oil price low volatility during the second half of 2016. The liquidity risk indicator shows that credit institutions had adequate levels of liquid resources to meet their short-term obligations. On the other hand, credit institutions’ liabilities and equity dynamics continued with the decreasing trend featured since mid-2015, highlighting the negative contributions of demand deposits, money market lending operations, and bank credits and financial obligations. Also, it is noteworthy that term deposits were the item that most positively contributed to funding real annual growth. Finally, the proposed sensitivity tests assessed the resilience of credit institutions to a negative (and unlikely) scenario, with an investment shock, a global confidence decline in the Colombian economy, and the materialization of a set of risks for the system (credit risk, market risk, and funding risk). Results indicate that the impact of the hypothetical scenario on the total solvency of credit institutions would have a moderate magnitude. At the same time, certain negative effects on the volume of the loan portfolio, its quality, and the profitability of the intermediation business would be observed. This shows the importance of continuing with the careful monitoring of the financial situation of debtors and entities