The Federal Reserve announces a proposal to relax capital requirements for large banks, potentially releasing billions of dollars.

Gate News reports that on March 19, the Federal Reserve announced a proposal to relax capital requirements for large Wall Street financial institutions. This move could free billions of dollars for lending, stock buybacks, and dividends. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman, responsible for regulatory work, stated, “These changes will strengthen our overall capital framework, and under the new regulatory framework, it will remain resilient.” The proposal must undergo a 90-day public consultation period before final approval, and it is being developed jointly by Federal Reserve officials, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Officials describe the plan as part of a broader effort to unify capital standards. If finalized, along with measures to relax enhanced leverage ratio requirements and reforms to stress testing, it would constitute the largest change since the banking capital regulations implemented after the 2008 global financial crisis. The Federal Reserve stated in a memo that, collectively, these proposals are expected to moderately reduce capital requirements for large banks.