The assessment results
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision published six jurisdictional assessments on 13 October. Australia, Japan, Korea and Switzerland received the highest overall grade of compliant for implementation of the Committee’s leverage-ratio framework. Canada and the United Kingdom were assessed as largely compliant, one grade below. The reports examine consistency and completeness against the global standard rather than the condition of individual banks.
Why the leverage ratio matters
The leverage ratio is a non-risk-based backstop to risk-weighted capital requirements, intended to constrain excessive balance-sheet leverage. The assessments form part of the Committee’s Regulatory Consistency Assessment Programme and conclude its first round of multi-jurisdiction reviews for this framework. The Committee is separately continuing assessments of Basel III revisions to risk-weighted assets.
What it means for merchants
Merchants should not infer the safety of a specific settlement bank from a country grade. Use the findings as context, then assess provider concentration, safeguarding arrangements, payout timing and contingency access to operating cash at the institution level.
Read the original announcement
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision · 13 Oct 2026This brief summarizes the linked primary source. Claims and reported figures have not been independently audited by Payment Guide.