Niklaus Blattner: Developments in the Swiss banking sector Introductory remarks by Mr Niklaus Blattner, Vice-Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, at the half-yearly media news conference, Berne, 16 June 2005. *  *  *  With its Financial Stability Report, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) informs the public of the state of the financial system and presents its assessment of system stability. Moreover, the Bank provides indicators that may be used for an in-depth analysis. The SNB tracks developments in the banking sector from a macroprudential, i.e. a system-wide perspective. In so doing, it complements the task of the Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC), which is responsible for microprudential oversight, i.e. for individual institutions. The part of the report that focuses on the banking sector mainly highlights strains or imbalances which could pose a threat to system stability in the short or longer term. In addition, the SNB reports on its activities in connection with the oversight of payment and securities settlement systems. This year it also provides information on the “Business Continuity Planning” (BCP) project, i.e. on preventive measures to overcome disruptions, thus strengthening the operational resistance of the Swiss financial centre. Banking sector The banking sector is currently stable. The stress index developed by SNB – an indicator which combines comprehensive information on potential stress symptoms in the banking industry – shows that the strains on the Swiss banking industry were extraordinarily low compared with the historical average. This is mainly attributable to three factors.

Muhammad Al-Jasser: The need for national data compilation and dissemination Opening speech by His Excellency Dr Muhammad Al-Jasser, Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), at the Special Data Dissemination Standard and Monetary Statistics workshop, Institute of Banking, Riyadh, 11 December 2010. *  *  *  Dear Workshop Organizers and Participants, It is my pleasure to inaugurate such an important workshop at a time when many national data compiling agencies are confronted with ever increasing user demands and challenges. I take this opportunity to express my thanks to all the GCC organizations (central banks, ministries of finance, and statistics centers) participating in this event. Of course, I also extend my appreciation to the IMF for providing pivotal leadership in building capacity for producing official statistics in the region, and paving the way for adding new dimensions and quality to official statistics and thereby contributing to the global statistical system. Dear Participants, The need to compile and disseminate data in a systematic and professional way, especially with respect to the growing data needs, can hardly be overemphasized. For example, the recent global financial crisis has exposed the lack of data in key statistical areas that might have helped authorities better measure and understand the risks to the international financial system. Remedies to fill such data gaps (e.g., maturity mismatches) are critical for monitoring systemic risk originating from systemically important financial institutions. Similarly, the rapid transformation of the world economy has also brought new data needs for environmental and social welfare statistics.