Chairs, secretariat and the Basel location

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The Committee's chairs have come from the central banks and supervisory authorities of member countries. After George Blunden and Peter Cooke, the chairmanship passed to Huib Muller of De Nederlandsche Bank, Gerald Corrigan and William McDonough of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa of the Banca d'Italia, Jaime Caruana, Nout Wellink and Stefan Ingves. Pablo Hernández de Cos, Governor of the Banco de España, chaired the Committee from 2019 to 2023 before becoming General Manager of the BIS in 2025. He was succeeded in July 2023 by Erik Thedéen, Governor of Sveriges Riksbank.¹

The secretariat, headed by a Secretary General, is located at the BIS in Basel and employs officials seconded from member institutions as well as BIS staff. Recent Secretaries General have included Stefan Walter, Wayne Byres, William Coen, Carolyn Rogers and Neil Esho.² The secretariat prepares the Committee's work, coordinates the working groups and conducts the impact studies and monitoring exercises. The Basel Committee belongs to the group of committees hosted by the BIS, alongside the Committee on the Global Financial System, the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures and the Markets Committee.

The location has practical significance. The proximity to the BIS, where central bank governors meet every two months, allows close coordination between monetary authorities and supervisors. The neutrality of Switzerland and the immunity regime of the BIS under its Headquarters Agreement with the Swiss Federal Council provide a discreet environment for negotiations.³ For Basel as a city, the Committee contributes to an international identity that extends far beyond its own banking sector. The expression "Basel rules" carries the city's name into every bank's annual report.

Notes

List of chairs of the Basel Committee on the BIS website ("History of the Basel Committee"); appointment of Erik Thedéen announced by the GHOS in 2023. Dates and order to be verified. ↩
On the secretariat and its Secretaries General, see the BIS website and the Basel Committee Charter, section 8. Names and terms to be verified. ↩
Headquarters Agreement between the Swiss Federal Council and the Bank for International Settlements of 10 February 1987 (SR 0.192.122.971). To be verified. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of August 2025.

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Chairs, secretariat and the Basel location

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