Regulatory Capital and Capital Adequacy: From Accounting Residuals to Basel III Risk Standards
Regulatory capital ensures banks can absorb losses while continuing to serve the economy, evolving from simple balance‑sheet residuals to risk‑sensitive frameworks under Basel III that cover credit, counterparty, market, and off‑balance sheet risks comprehensively. Capital adequacy today blends risk‑weighted requirements with leverage and liquidity backstops, using standardized and internal model approaches bounded by output floors…

