The Riksbank's assessment is that the Swedish financial system is working well at present. The major Swedish banks are still profitable and have plenty of opportunity to obtain funding. But the Swedish banking system is sensitive to various economic shocks. Low global interest rates have contributed to investors both abroad and in Sweden continuing to demand high-risk assets, while housing prices and household indebtedness in Sweden are rising.
This means that the risks to financial and macroeconomic stability have increased since the latest stability assessment in December 2014.
Therefore, the banks' capital requirements need to be tightened, their liquidity risks reduced and further measures implemented to cope with the risks relating to household indebtedness. The Riksbank considers that it is of the utmost importance that Finansinspektionen's mandate and tools for macroprudential policy be clarified and enshrined in Swedish law as soon as possible so that the necessary measures can be adopted.
Press Release: Household debt demands further measures
The Riksbank's most recent recommendation and risk outlook