Mr. Yam looks at Asian banking in a regional and global context Address by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr. Joseph C.K. Yam, at the ADB-IIF Forum on Developing Asian Financial Markets held in Fukuoka, Japan, on 10/5/97. I am pleased to be here this morning to address you on the subject of Asian banking in a regional and global context. I will be speaking particularly about banks in the East Asia region. The importance of banking stability 2. There is increasing international recognition of the importance of a sound banking system in promoting macroeconomic stability, sustainable economic growth and the efficient intermediation between savings and investment. The last few months have seen a series of initiatives by international financial institutions and groupings to devise principles, standards and strategies for the promotion of financial stability. While these initiatives have been directed principally at emerging markets, they also have application to the more developed markets which have been by no means immune from banking problems in recent years. A number of Asian economies, including Hong Kong, have participated in this work. This is a practical recognition that the setting of international regulatory standards must be a broadly-based process, in keeping with the global nature of today’s financial markets. 3. I do not need to belabour the point about the debilitating and disruptive effects which banking problems can have on economic and monetary management. The need to restore the capital of failed banks can impose a heavy fiscal burden.

If exchange rate developments pose a significant threat to price stability in the euro area, all other things being equal, monetary policy will have to respond. Of course, all other factors that impart information on price developments will also be taken into account before an interest rate decision is taken. Monetary policy decisions and the outlook for price stability In December 1998 the Governing Council announced that the interest rate on the main refinancing operation would be 3%. In the first quarter of 1999 the Governing Council kept this rate unchanged. After an in-depth review of recent monetary, financial and economic developments, the Governing Council decided at its meeting on 8 April to set the interest rate for the ECB’s main refinancing operations at 2.5%. In addition, the interest rate on the marginal lending facility was lowered to 3.5% and the interest rate on the deposit facility to 1.5%. These rates were left unchanged at the meeting of the Governing Council last week. The decision to lower interest rates taken at the first meeting in April has to be seen in the context of the stability-oriented strategy. The decision has thus been taken from a forwardlooking perspective, focusing on the medium-term trends in inflation and the compatibility of these trends with the Eurosystem’s definition of price stability. By adhering to this strategy, the Eurosystem’s monetary policy contributes to creating the economic conditions which are essential to exploiting the considerable growth potential of the euro area and to reducing uncertainty about future economic developments.