The banking system comprises the majority of lending to the non-financial private sector in New Zealand (figure 2). Direct capital market funding (issuance of corporate bonds) and non-bank lending institutions (NBLIs) together account for only 6 percent of non-financial private sector borrowing.
Source: RBNZ SSR, RBNZ Bank Balance Sheet (BBS), RBNZ Securities Survey.
Note: Shares may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
The New Zealand banking system is highly concentrated. While there are currently 27 registered banks, the four large Australian-owned banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ, and Westpac) are responsible for 85 percent of bank lending (figure 2). The five New Zealand-owned banks account for 8 percent of bank lending.
For the Australian-owned banks, the New Zealand subsidiaries’ total assets represent between 9 and 16 percent of their respective Australian parent group’s total assets.These Australian-owned banks all have high credit ratings by international standards (a table of current credit ratings is presented here).
Despite the New Zealand financial system being dominated by banks, the banking system itself is relatively small by global standards. Total assets of the banking system were just over $614 billion NZD in September 2020, which at around 198 percent of GDP is at the lower end of the range for OECD countries.
A consolidated balance sheet of the banking system is presented in table 1. Loans and advances account for over 77 percent of banking system assets. Banks hold a small amount of trading securities and their holdings of derivatives are primarily for hedging purposes. Deposits account for over 64 percent of liabilities and equity.
$m | % | |
Assets | ||
Cash (notes and coins) | 734 | 0.1 |
Deposits (with depository institutions) | 30763 | 5.0 |
Debt securities (net) | 62486 | 10.2 |
Loans and advances (net) | 475844 | 77.5 |
Derivatives in an asset position | 25233 | 4.1 |
Demand balances with central bank | 18403 | 3.0 |
Other assets | 656 | 0.1 |
Total assets | 614118 | |
Liabilities and Equity | ||
Deposits (net) | 394003 | 64.2 |
Debt securities (net) | 114336 | 18.6 |
Borrowings (net) | 31003 | 5.0 |
Derivatives in a liability position | 20970 | 3.4 |
Other liabilities | 6795 | 1.1 |
Total equity | 47011 | 7.7 |
Total liabilities and equity | 614118 |
Source: RBNZ BBS.
About 63 percent of bank lending is to the household sector. The vast bulk of which is secured against housing assets (figure 3). Lending to the agriculture sector accounts for around 13 percent of total lending, of which the dairy sector accounts for about two thirds. Lending to the business sector accounts for 24 percent of total bank lending, around 37 percent of which is property related.
Source: RBNZ BBS.
Bank funding is mostly sourced from domestic deposits (non-market) or the domestic wholesale market (figure 4). However, a small pool of domestic savings creates a structural need for the banking system to obtain funding from offshore. Currently around 20 percent of non-equity funding is sourced from offshore, with just under half of this at maturities of less than one year. Around 24 percent of non-equity funding is from the wholesale market.
Source: RBNZ Liquidity Survey.
New Zealand’s net external liabilities are high relative to most other developed economies, as a result of the weak domestic savings rate (figure 5). Offshore bank funding accounts for almost two-thirds of New Zealand’s net external liabilities. This creates a vulnerability to disruptions in global financial markets. However, almost all debt is hedged into NZD and reliance on short-term funding markets has declined markedly since the global financial crisis.
Source: Haver Analytics.
The majority of bank funding is short term (figure 6), with around 84 percent having a maturity less than one year and just 10 percent with a maturity greater than two years. In comparison, bank assets have much greater maturities due to the maturity transformation function of the banks. Around 61 percent of lending is mortgages, at terms of up to thirty years. However, these assets have a relatively short time to re-price. Around 13 percent of mortgage loans are floating, and 59 percent are fixed loans due to be re-priced within one year (figure 7). Only about 5 percent of loans are fixed for a term greater than two years.
A mismatch between asset and liability maturity structure generates rollover and re-pricing risk. Despite banks hedging the majority of their interest rate risk, they remain exposed to offshore funding market volatility. Any increased cost of funds can flow through to retail rates if funding is rolled over at higher prices. This risk is partly mitigated by the Core Funding Ratio which requires banks to maintain a minimum level of stable funding.
Source: RBNZ Liquidity Survey.
Source: RBNZ BBS.
1 For a more comprehensive balance sheet see the S10 table.
Non-bank lending institutions (NBLIs) include non-bank deposit-taking institutions (NBDTs) and non-deposit-taking finance companies. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand regulates NBDTs, but does not regulate or supervise non-deposit-taking finance companies. NBLIs account for just over 3 percent of intermediated credit, mainly focusing on the business and consumer sectors (figure 8).
Financial market infrastructures (FMIs) provide channels through which payments, securities, derivatives or other financial transactions are cleared, settled or recorded. Well-functioning and efficient FMIs play a critical role in promoting financial stability and economic growth. FMIs can strengthen the markets they serve; if not managed properly, they can pose significant risks to the financial system and be a potential conduit or source of contagion. A stable financial system therefore depends on careful management and mitigation of key risks in the FMIs.
The Reserve Bank regulates banks, insurers, and non-bank deposit takers (NBDT), for the purpose of promoting the maintenance of a sound and efficient financial system. The Bank’s approach to prudential supervision is described in our Statements of supervisory and enforcement approaches. The Bank has no responsibility for non-deposit taking non-bank lending institutions (NBLI) or unlicensed insurers. The Reserve Bank also oversees and operates New Zealand’s financial market infrastructures.