On 5 November 2026, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (Basel Committee) issued a consultative document on consequential amendments to the Basel Framework to update cross-references to refer to the relevant chapters in the consolidated guidelines.
Background
In 2025, the Basel Committee initiated work to consolidate its guidelines and sound practices into a modular format. This initiative replaces the existing pdf versions of guidelines and sound practices with a consistent and cohesive framework. The consolidated guidelines and sound practices appear in a new area of the Basel Committee’s section of the website. They comprise 13 modules setting out expectations and practices on specific topics, each of which is divided into further chapters. This modular format will make it easier to maintain and update the materials over time. Following a public consultation, the Basel Committee has finalised the text of the consolidated guidelines without change. Several of the Basel Committee’s standards (as set out in the Basel Framework) refer to the guidelines and sound practices in their original pdf publication format. The Basel Committee is proposing to update these cross-references to refer to the new chapters in the consolidated guidelines and sound practices. In addition, the Basel Committee is also proposing to migrate the contents of certain “Application guidance” chapters in the Basel Framework to the consolidated guidelines. The Basel Committee is consulting on these changes as technical amendments.
Website
The Basel Committee has finalised a new section of its website that sets out a consolidated version of its guidelines and sound practices for banks and supervisors. The consolidated guidelines aim to improve the accessibility of the Basel Committee’s outputs by presenting them in a user-friendly modular format.
Next steps
The deadline for comments on the consultative document is 21 December 2026.