RBNZ highlighted significant geopolitical risks as a major concern for New Zealand’s financial stability in a pre-release of findings from its upcoming Financial Stability Report. Key threats stem from global tensions involving Russia, China, and the Middle East, which RBNZ may incorporate into next year’s solvency stress test.
RBNZ noted that in some scenarios, “global supply chains were disrupted,” triggering renewed inflationary pressures and elevated interest rates. The report mentions a “more extreme scenario” involving a conflict in the Asia-Pacific region with one or more of New Zealand’s key trading partners. This may allude to risks of a major disruption if China attempts to assert territorial claims in the South China Sea or to use force in the Taiwan Strait.
Kerry Watt, RBNZ’s Director of Financial Stability Assessment & Strategy, commented on the increased “concern about geopolitical tension,” emphasizing that “as a small open economy, dependent on international trade and investment, geopolitical risks are clearly relevant to our financial system. Their potential impacts cannot be underestimated.”
