Skip to main content

Risk Weight

Definition

Risk weight is a factor assigned to different asset classes or exposures by financial regulators to determine the amount of capital banks must hold against them. Assets considered riskier, such as certain loans or volatile investments, are assigned higher risk weights, requiring banks to allocate more capital. This mechanism helps ensure that banks maintain adequate capital buffers commensurate with the risks they undertake. It is a fundamental component of prudential regulation in banking.