Basel Committee issues a consolidated version of its guidelines

Press release  | 
26 February 2026
  • The Basel Committee has published a consultation on a consolidated version of its guidelines and sound practices.
  • The consolidated version aims to improve accessibility and substantially streamline guidance materials.
  • Comments on the consultation are requested by 26 June 2026.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision today launched a new section of its website that sets out a consolidated version of its guidelines and sound practices for banks and supervisors. The consolidated guidelines and sound practices aim to improve the accessibility of the Committee's outputs by setting them out in a more user-friendly format. The website has been published, initially in draft form, together with a consultative document to gather feedback from stakeholders.

Guidelines and sound practices are currently published on the Committee's section of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) website, as a series of pdf documents. The consolidated guidelines reorganise the contents of existing guidelines and sound practices into a modular format. This format replicates the approach used by the Committee in the development of its consolidated set of standards (the Basel Framework), which was launched in December 2019 and was well received by stakeholders.

The publication of the guidelines and sound practices in this new format has focused on reorganising existing materials. There was no intention to introduce new expectations through the current exercise. As part of this process, the Committee has also taken the opportunity to remove content that it considers to be outdated, duplicative, or superseded. Through this exercise, the Committee has substantially reduced the volume of its guidance materials by approximately 75%. The final output reflects a more streamlined and evergreen set of expectations.

The Committee intends to periodically review its guidelines and sound practices as standards, supervisory practices and the financial system evolve.

The Committee welcomes comments on the three questions set out in the consultative document. Comments should be uploaded here by Friday 26 June 2026. All comments will be published on the Bank for International Settlements website unless a respondent specifically requests confidential treatment.

Note to editors:

The Basel Committee is the primary global standard setter for the prudential regulation of banks and provides a forum for cooperation on banking supervisory matters. Its mandate is to strengthen the regulation, supervision and practices of banks worldwide with the purpose of enhancing financial stability. The Committee reports to the Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision and seeks its endorsement for major decisions. The Committee has no formal supranational authority, and its decisions have no legal force. Rather, the Committee relies on its members' commitments to achieve its mandate. The Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision is chaired by Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada. The Basel Committee is chaired by Erik Thedéen, Governor of the Sveriges Riksbank.

More information about the Basel Committee is available here.