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5/12/2022

Testimony of Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Repr…

Testimony of Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Before the
Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives
May 12, 2022

As Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Chairwoman Waters, Ranking Member McHenry, and Members of the Committee. I
am pleased to speak with you today about the Financial Stability Oversight Councilʼs (Council)
2021 annual report. The report is a collaborative e ort of the Council member agencies. It is a
vehicle for providing Congress and the public with the Councilʼs collective assessments of
potential risks to U.S. financial stability. Today, I will highlight a few topics in the report and
provide an update on the Councilʼs activities since the reportʼs publication.
First, the report discusses vulnerabilities in the nonbank financial sector, which were
highlighted by the turmoil in financial markets in March 2020. While the Dodd-Frank Act
reforms increased the resiliency of the U.S. financial system, the market turmoil in March 2020
demonstrated that the liquidity mismatch and use of leverage by some nonbank financial
institutions can make them vulnerable to acute financial stresses, and these stresses can be
transmitted and amplified to the broader financial system. The Council has taken steps to
examine these risks, including re- establishing its Hedge Fund Working Group to develop an
interagency risk-monitoring system and to propose options to mitigate identified risks. And
earlier this year, the Council issued a statement to express support for the Securities and
Exchange Commissionʼs (SEC) e orts to reform money market funds and their work to
consider potential reforms of open-end funds.
The Council is also working to support improving the resilience of the Treasury market and is
coordinating with the Interagency Working Group on Treasury Market Surveillance (IAWG).
Potential steps to be taken include improving data quality and availability, evaluating
expanded central clearing, and enhancing trading venue transparency and oversight. The SEC
has proposed certain reforms to enhance transparency and oversight over alternative trading
systems that trade government securities. The SEC has also proposed updating the definition
of a government securities dealer to include market participants that play an increasingly
significant liquidity providing role in overall trading and market activity. Additionally, the O ice
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Testimony of Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Repr…

of Financial Research is working to fill identified data gaps for uncleared bilateral repurchase
agreements through a pilot data collection, which should improve visibility into a major source
of financing for non-bank financial institutions in Treasury markets.
Additionally, the Council is working to ensure that financial institutions better understand
their climate-related financial risks. In its October 2021 Report on Climate-Related Financial
Risk, the Council outlined how climate change can be a source of shocks to the financial
system and increase risks to financial stability. To address these risks, the Council
recommended that regulators build their capacity and expand their e orts to address
climate-related risks, improve the availability of data, enhance and standardize disclosures,
and assess and mitigate risks to financial stability. The Council has also formed its sta -level
Climate-related Financial Risk Committee, which will serve as a coordinating body for the
Council to share information, facilitate the development of common approaches and
standards, and foster communication across FSOC members. In addition, the Council is
establishing the Climate-related Financial Risk Advisory Committee. This advisory body, which
will include a broad array of external stakeholders, will help the Council gather information
and analysis on climate-related financial risks.
With respect to digital assets, new products and technologies may present opportunities to
promote innovation and increase e iciencies. However, digital assets may pose risks to the
financial system, and increased and coordinated regulatory attention is necessary. On March
9, 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order calling for comprehensive approach to
digital asset policy. The Council is dra ing a report that will identify financial stability risks and
regulatory gaps. I look forward to working with you on the issues and opportunities posed by
digital assets. We are also eager to work with you to ensure that payment stablecoins and
their arrangements are subject to a federal prudential framework on a consistent and
comprehensive basis.
Finally, there is the potential for continued volatility and unevenness of global growth as
countries continue to grapple with the pandemic. Russiaʼs unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has
further increased economic uncertainty. The U.S. financial system has continued to function in
an orderly manner, though valuations of some assets remain high compared with historical
values. We stand firmly with the people of Ukraine and have implemented an unprecedented
suite of sanctions on
Russia that have been implemented by financial institutions. On February 28, I convened the
Council in the wake of the invasion, and we will continue to monitor developments and
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Testimony of Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Repr…

coordinate actions as the risks and threats evolve.
The Councilʼs report also discusses other potential emerging threats and vulnerabilities that
the Council continues to monitor, including short-term wholesale funding markets, central
counterparties, alternative reference rates, cybersecurity, corporate credit markets, and real
estate markets.
The Council remains committed to its mission of identifying and responding to risks to U.S.
financial stability, and I look forward to working with this Committee to promote a more
robust and resilient financial system. Thank you.
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