Financial sector
  • Prudential supervision
    The National Bank of Belgium is responsible for the prudential supervision of credit institutions, including electronic money institutions, investment firms with the status of stock market investment firms, insurance companies, reinsurance companies, mutual guarantee companies, clearing agencies, settlement agencies and agencies similar to settlement agencies and payment institutions. 
  • Oversight
    The financial supervision of payment and securities settlement systems is an activity assigned to central banks for the purpose of promoting financial stability.
  • Business Continuity Planning
    The national Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for critical players in the financial sector is intended to strengthen the Belgian financial system in regard to events which could affect the operational continuity of activities. 
  • The securities settlement system
    The National Bank administers a settlement system for securities (formerly called Clearing), which ensures the secure handling of transactions in, predominantly, dematerialised securities.   
  • Protection Fund for Deposits and Financial Instruments
    In the event of the failure of a credit institution or investment firm, its customers receive partial compensation. 
  • RECOUR
    Recour is the current accounts application of the National Bank of Belgium. Recour is also the central settlement location of other payment and securities clearing systems. 
  • Issuance of dematerialised securities
  • Dematerialisation of bearer securities 
  • TARGET2
    TARGET2, short for Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer system, is the RTGS-system provided through the Eurosystem. 
  • CEC
    The CEC is the Belgian automated interbank payment system for retail payments. 
  • Bond Center
    For a fee, the Bond Centre provides a service which enables banks to present their customers’ securities and coupons for payment without first grouping them together by ISIN code or denomination. 
  • Exseco
    Exseco (Exchange of Securities and Coupons) enables financial institutions to exchange securities and coupons with one another and with the National Bank.