Borrow
RBA provides banks with $9 billion in liquidity
The Reserve Bank of Australia has met a sharp increase in demand for additional liquidity from the banks in light of the growing market uncertainty from market volatility.
RBA provides banks with $9 billion in liquidity
The Reserve Bank of Australia has met a sharp increase in demand for additional liquidity from the banks in light of the growing market uncertainty from market volatility.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has provided the banking sector with a significant liquidity boost on the overnight money market, purchasing bank assets through repurchase (repo) agreements totalling $8.8 billion – well above the daily average.
Over 60 per cent ($5.6 billion) of the transactions involved the purchase of transaction terms of 95 days.
This follows a similar move from the US Federal Reserve following President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from Europe in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
President Trump’s decision sent ripples through international markets, including Australia, prompting traders to sell assets and strain liquidity in credit markets.
RBA governor Philip Lowe hinted at providing the banking sector with liquidity support following the monetary policy board’s decision on the official cash rate to a new record low of 0.5 per cent earlier this month.
“Australia’s financial markets are operating effectively, and the bank will ensure that the Australian financial system has sufficient liquidity,” Mr Lowe said.
The RBA’s response to demand for additional liquidity from Australia’s banking sector also followed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s release of a $17.6 billion stimulus package to help support the domestic economy as it grapples with economic side effects of COVID-19.
The RBA will now conduct repo operations of six months maturity or longer at least weekly as long as the market conditions warrant a response. It will also continue to conduct one-month and three-month repo operations until further notice.
“Australia’s financial institutions, market participants and market infrastructure providers have undertaken substantial investments in their operational capability to deal with the effects of the virus,” the Council of Financial Regulators said in a statement.
“At the same time, trading liquidity has deteriorated in some markets, and financial institutions are having to adjust to a more volatile environment. The financial regulators are in regular contact with financial institutions, market participants and market infrastructure providers.”
The announcement comes as ASIC issues directions to a number of large equity market participants requiring them to limit the number of trades executed each day until further notice.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Banking
Brokers own the mortgage funnel: Why a 77% share is reshaping bank strategy in Australia
Australia’s mortgage market has quietly consolidated around one gatekeeper: the broker. With brokers facilitating roughly 77% of new home loans, distribution power has migrated from bank branches to ...Read more
Banking
Commonwealth Bank leads consideration while People First Bank tops satisfaction in YouGov’s latest rankings
In a revealing snapshot of Australia's banking landscape, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has emerged as the most considered financial institution among prospective customers, according to YouGov's ...Read more
Banking
End of the easing: what a major bank’s call signals for Australian balance sheets
A major Australian bank now argues the Reserve Bank’s rate-cut run has hit a pause, resetting the risk-free rate narrative across corporate Australia. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest Statement ...Read more
Banking
Open banking, real returns: How an Australian brokerage turned CDR data into deal velocity
Open banking is no longer a whiteboard theory—it’s a working growth engine. This case study unpacks how a mid-sized Australian brokerage (“Pink Finance”) operationalised Consumer Data Right (CDR) data ...Read more
Banking
Open banking’s quiet revolution: how one broker’s data play rewrites speed, trust and margin
Open banking is shifting from compliance cost to commercial engine, and early adopters in Australia’s broking market are already monetising the curve. The playbook: consented bank-grade data piped ...Read more
Banking
Open banking in action: An early adopter’s playbook—and the ROI case for Australian brokers
Open banking is shifting from conference buzzword to operational backbone in Australia’s broking sector. Early adopters are using bank-grade data and AI to compress underwriting cycles, cut compliance ...Read more
Banking
Australian brokerage pedals ahead using consented data for a speedy advantage
Open banking is no longer a concept; it is an operating model shift changing how brokers originate and package credit. Australia’s early movers, backed by the Consumer Data Right (CDR) and a ...Read more
Banking
BOQ’s mortgage squeeze is a market signal: where banks will win next as competition bites
Bank of Queensland’s shrinking home-loan book is more than a single-institution story; it’s a barometer of how Australia’s mortgage market is being rewired by broker power, non-bank agility and ...Read more
Banking
Brokers own the mortgage funnel: Why a 77% share is reshaping bank strategy in Australia
Australia’s mortgage market has quietly consolidated around one gatekeeper: the broker. With brokers facilitating roughly 77% of new home loans, distribution power has migrated from bank branches to ...Read more
Banking
Commonwealth Bank leads consideration while People First Bank tops satisfaction in YouGov’s latest rankings
In a revealing snapshot of Australia's banking landscape, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has emerged as the most considered financial institution among prospective customers, according to YouGov's ...Read more
Banking
End of the easing: what a major bank’s call signals for Australian balance sheets
A major Australian bank now argues the Reserve Bank’s rate-cut run has hit a pause, resetting the risk-free rate narrative across corporate Australia. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest Statement ...Read more
Banking
Open banking, real returns: How an Australian brokerage turned CDR data into deal velocity
Open banking is no longer a whiteboard theory—it’s a working growth engine. This case study unpacks how a mid-sized Australian brokerage (“Pink Finance”) operationalised Consumer Data Right (CDR) data ...Read more
Banking
Open banking’s quiet revolution: how one broker’s data play rewrites speed, trust and margin
Open banking is shifting from compliance cost to commercial engine, and early adopters in Australia’s broking market are already monetising the curve. The playbook: consented bank-grade data piped ...Read more
Banking
Open banking in action: An early adopter’s playbook—and the ROI case for Australian brokers
Open banking is shifting from conference buzzword to operational backbone in Australia’s broking sector. Early adopters are using bank-grade data and AI to compress underwriting cycles, cut compliance ...Read more
Banking
Australian brokerage pedals ahead using consented data for a speedy advantage
Open banking is no longer a concept; it is an operating model shift changing how brokers originate and package credit. Australia’s early movers, backed by the Consumer Data Right (CDR) and a ...Read more
Banking
BOQ’s mortgage squeeze is a market signal: where banks will win next as competition bites
Bank of Queensland’s shrinking home-loan book is more than a single-institution story; it’s a barometer of how Australia’s mortgage market is being rewired by broker power, non-bank agility and ...Read more
