capital adequacy ratio

It compares banks' capital buffers to their balance-sheet size - the simplest prudential strength measure. The World Bank indicator FB.BNK.CAPA.ZS is described as 'bank capital to assets ratio (%)', with tags spanning capital-adequacy, tier-1-capital, imf-fsi and prudential.

Provenance matters for interpretation: the record notes 'this particular series originates from IMF FSIs', meaning definitions follow IMF Financial Soundness Indicator methodology rather than a World Bank construction. Distribution is annual at country level, sitting among roughly 30 related banking indicators.

Cross-country banking comparisons need definitional honesty. Capital-to-assets differs from risk-weighted capital adequacy ratios under Basel frameworks; because this series follows IMF FSI definitions, mixing it with Basel-style national ratios produces false rankings.

Frequency limits apply too: annual granularity suits structural comparison but misses intra-year stress. Buyers assessing systemic fragility should treat the country-level series as a screening layer, then descend to supervisor disclosures for institution-level precision - and always cite the IMF FSI origin when publishing derived rankings.

1. “Check the indicator code. ”FB.BNK.CAPA.ZS identifies the specific World Bank series.

1. “Trace methodology origin. ”This series originates from IMF FSIs - respect those definitions over local variants.

1. “Note frequency. ”Annual country-level values bound timeliness expectations.

1. “Explore siblings. ”Roughly 30 related banking indicators accompany it for broader soundness panels.

1. “Distinguish from risk-weighted measures. ”Tier-1-capital tagging hints at related but distinct constructs.

• consolidated-banking-data - the BIS-style aggregates complementing country ratios.
• us-government-public-domain - the openness benchmark such indicators aspire to.

Sector hub: diversified-banks data.