Bank of International Settlements investment & finance definition
An international
organization, based in Basel, Switzerland, that acts as a central bank for the
banks of major industrial countries. The BIS was chartered in 1930 by a group
of European central banks and has evolved since the 1960s into an influential
institution that hosts periodic meetings of central bankers from the most
developed countries. Through communication and research, the BIS attempts to
create cooperation and set up the conditions for world-
wide financial stability. In 1988, the BIS developed the risk-based capital
standard, which classifies loans and other bank assets by risk. The risk-based
capital standard was adopted by banks in the Group of 10 countries: Belgium,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
A latecomer and an eleventh member Switzerland, however the name G-10 was
retained.