Support to the banking Sector as a Factor of the Central bank losses (the Case of the National bank of Kazakhstan)

Central bank activities in developing and transit economies differ in specificity, due to the underdevelopment and increased vulnerability of national banking systems to external shocks. In some cases, this specificity leads to central bank losses, including over long periods and in large volumes. The subject of the article is central bank activities contributing to their losses. The relevance of the study is due to the increasing instability of the external environment within the growing crisis in the global economy, which causes the constant generation of shocks for the financial sector of developing economies. Maintaining financial stability and supporting the banking sector under these conditions may be factors of central bank losses. The aim of the article is to assess the impact of these factors on the example of the Central Bank of Kazakhstan. The study employed the methods of the analysis of the financial results of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan during its active support to the country’s banking sector, as well as a comparative analysis of its financial statements with other central banks. As a result, the study revealed that the specifics of the monetary policy in Kazakhstan implemented to ensure the stability of financial markets and support to the banking sector led to massive losses for the regulator. This significantly distinguishes its results from similar indicators of other central banks in the world and the CIS countries. The resulting losses developed due to factors of both a temporary and situational nature, as well as systemic features of monetary policy that arose in a difficult period and became permanent afterwards. The conclusion confirms the hypothesis about the significance of support measures for the national financial sector in the formation of a negative financial result for the central bank, as well as illustrates the specificity of monetary policy in developing economies with a dominant commodity sector.

central bank, central bank profit, central bank losses, monetary policy, banking sector recovery, interest expense, issue of debt instruments

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