Forward Contract: Definition, Pricing, Payoffs, and Practical Use
IntroductionA forward contract is a customized agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on a specified future date, widely used for hedging price or rate risk in commodities, currencies, and interest rates. It is an over‑the‑counter (OTC) instrument, typically with bilateral credit exposure and flexible terms tailored to…
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Derivatives Demystified: Meaning, Features, Uses, Misuse, and Market Overview
A derivative is a financial contract whose value is linked to an underlying asset, index, rate, or benchmark; it is used for hedging risk, speculation, and arbitrage, and trades either on exchanges or over the counter depending on standardization and customization needs. What is a derivative? A derivative is an agreement between parties that derives…
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Risk-Based Internal Audit (RBIA): A Proactive Early Warning System for Banks
Risk-Based Internal Audit is a forward-looking methodology that aligns audit priorities with the enterprise’s top risks so assurance focuses on what truly matters for strategy, compliance, and resilience. It connects the audit universe, risk assessment, and audit plan to the organization’s risk appetite, delivering insight and early warning rather than after‑the‑fact findings. What is Risk-Based…
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Risk-Based Supervision in India: Features of an Effective bank Supervisory Framework
Risk-Based Supervision (RBS) in India represents a shift from checklist-style inspections to a forward-looking, risk‑centred, and proportionate supervisory regime that prioritizes the most material risks to safety, soundness, and systemic stability. Background RBS emerged globally after the global financial crisis exposed the limits of compliance-heavy and backward‑looking inspections, pushing supervisors to focus on inherent risks,…
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Basel III Buffers, Leverage and Liquidity: A Comprehensive Guide to Resilience
Basel III strengthens bank resilience through complementary safeguards: risk-based capital with usable buffers, a simple non‑risk‑based leverage backstop, and liquidity standards that protect short‑term and structural funding positions across cycles and systemic stress. General Basel III introduced higher‑quality capital, explicit buffers, a leverage ratio, and two liquidity ratios to remedy weaknesses revealed in the global…
Pillar 3 Market Discipline: Practical Guidance for Robust, Decision‑Useful Disclosure
Market discipline under Pillar 3 complements minimum capital (Pillar 1) and supervisory review (Pillar 2) by enabling informed market scrutiny through clear, consistent, and comparable disclosures that incentivize prudent risk‑taking and sound governance. It strengthens external accountability by giving investors, creditors, analysts, and counterparties the information needed to monitor risk profiles and influence behavior through…
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