Country risk
Country risk comprises all risks related to conclusion of financial agreements with foreign parties, assuming that it is possible that economic, social or political events will have an adverse effect on creditworthiness of the Bank’s obligors in that country or where intervention of a foreign government could prevent the obligor (which could also be the government itself) from discharging his liabilities.
The Bank’s policy concerning country risk has been conservative. Country limits have been reviewed periodically and the limit level modified to match precisely the anticipated business needs and risk appetite of the Bank.
As at 31 December 2019, foreign lending operations of the Bank represented 46% of the Bank’s exposure towards countries, treasury transactions (including deposits and derivatives) accounted for 19%, while the remaining part, i.e. 35%, was related to international trade transactions (letters of credit and guarantees). France accounted for 31%, the Netherlands for 12%, Luxembourg for 10%, Belgium for 9%, Switzerland for 7%, Austria and Great Britain for 6% of the exposure. The remaining exposure was related to Belarus, Czech Republic and Turkey.
Counterparty risk
Counterparty risk is the credit risk concerning the counterparty transactions in case of which the amount of liability may change in time depending on market parameters. Therefore, the counterparty risk is related to transactions on instruments whose value may change over time depending on such factors as interest rates or foreign exchange rates. The varying exposure may affect the customer’s solvency and is of crucial importance to the customer’s ability to discharge its liabilities when the transaction is settled. The Bank’s customers may enter into financial market transactions. The exposure is determined by the Bank on the basis of the current measurement of contracts as well as the potential future changes in the exposure, depending on the transaction type, customer type and the settlement dates.
At the end of December 2018, the counterparty risk was calculated for the following types of transactions contained in the trading portfolio of the Bank: foreign exchange transactions, interest rate swap transactions, FX options, interest rate options and commodity derivatives.
Counterparty credit risk, for transactions which generate counterparty risk, is assessed using the same methodology as the one applied to loans. This denotes that in the credit process, these transactions are subject to limits, the value of which results directly from assessment of customer creditworthiness. However, the assessment also takes into account the specific nature of transactions, in particular their changing value in time or direct dependence on market parameters.
The principles applicable to foreign exchange transactions, derivative transactions as well as credit limit granting, use and monitoring for transactions subject to counterparty risk limits have been laid down in dedicated procedures. According to the policy in place at the Bank, all transactions are entered into considering individual limits and knowledge of the customer. The Bank diversifies availability of products, which are offered to customers depending on their knowledge and experience. The Bank has transparent rules applicable to hedging the counterparty credit risk exposure in place.
At the end of December 2019, the Bank’s exposure to the counterparty risk due to concluded derivative transactions was PLN 1.33 billion. Corporate and financial clients constituted 74% of the exposure, while the remaining 26% were banks.
