Capital Adequacy Ratio vs. Solvency Ratio: What's the Difference? (2024)

Capital Adequacy Ratio vs. Solvency Ratio: An Overview

Both the capital adequacy ratio and the solvency ratio provide ways to evaluate a company's debt versus its revenues situation. However, the capital adequacy ratio is usually applied specifically to evaluating banks, while the solvency ratio metric can be used for evaluating any type of company.

Key Takeaways

  • The capital adequacy ratio (CAR) measures whether a company has a sufficient cushion to deal with potential financial losses.
  • The solvency ratio instead measures whether a company has enough cash on hand to cover its short- and long-term debts and obligations.
  • Together, these two metrics can help an analyst or investor judge the chances that a firm may become insolvent, a precursor to bankruptcy.

The Capital Adequacy Ratio

Also known as the capital to risk assets ratio, the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) essentially measures the financial risk that examines the available capital of a bank in relation to extended credit. It expresses a percentage of the bank’s credit exposures weighted by risk.

Regulators track the progress of a bank's CAR to ensure that the bank can withstand significant —but not unreasonable—losses or fluctuation in revenues. The ratio's primary function is to effectuate efficient and stable financial systems.

The CAR measures two types of capital differentiated by tiers. The first tier involves capital that can be used to absorb loss without requiring a bank to stop trading. The second tier involves capital that can absorb the loss in the event that the bank is forced to liquidate. The calculation for the capital adequacy ratio adds the total of both tiers, and that figure is then divided by the company's risk-weighted assets. As of 2021, the lowest acceptable ratio for a U.S. bank is approximately 8%.

The Solvency Ratio

The solvency ratio is a debt evaluation metric that can be applied to any type of company to assess how well it can cover both its short-term and long-term outstanding financial obligations. Solvency ratios below 20% indicate an increased likelihood of default.

Analysts favor the solvency ratio for providing a comprehensive evaluation of a company's financial situation because it measures actual cash flow rather than net income, not all of which may be readily available to a company to meet obligations. The solvency ratio is best employed in comparison to similar firms within the same industry, as certain industries tend to be significantly more debt-heavy than others.

Capital Adequacy Ratio vs. Solvency Ratio: What's the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Capital Adequacy Ratio vs. Solvency Ratio: What's the Difference? ›

The capital adequacy ratio (CAR) measures whether a company has a sufficient cushion to deal with potential financial losses. The solvency ratio instead measures whether a company has enough cash on hand to cover its short- and long-term debts and obligations.

What is the difference between capital adequacy ratio and solvency ratio? ›

The capital adequacy ratio gauges whether a company has enough leverage to handle potential financial losses. The solvency ratio assesses if a company has sufficient cash to cover its short-term and long-term debts.

What is the difference between current ratio and solvency ratio? ›

The liquidity ratio will help the stakeholders analyse the firm's ability to convert their assets into cash without much hassle. The solvency ratio will help the stakeholders analyse the firm's ability to sustain itself in the industry over the long run.

What is capital adequacy ratio in simple terms? ›

Definition: Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is the ratio of a bank's capital in relation to its risk weighted assets and current liabilities. It is decided by central banks and bank regulators to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process. Description: It is measured as.

What is the difference between coverage ratio and solvency ratio? ›

A higher coverage ratio is better for the solvency of the business while a lower coverage ratio indicates debt burden on the business. This was all about the solvency ratios that determine the solvency of a business organisation by measuring its ability to pay long term debt obligations.

What is the solvency ratio? ›

A solvency ratio is a vital metric used to see a business's ability to fulfil long-term debt requirements and is used by prospective business lenders. It shows whether a company's cash flow is good enough to meet its long-term liabilities. It is, therefore, considered to a measure of its financial health.

What are examples of solvency ratios? ›

Solvency ratio = (15,000 + 3,000) / (32,000 + 60,000) = 19.6%. It is important to note that a company is considered financially strong if its solvency ratio exceeds 20%. So, from the above solvency ratio example, the company is falling just short of being considered financially healthy.

What is another name for solvency ratio? ›

Solvency ratios also known as leverage ratios determine an entity's ability to service its debt. So these ratios calculate if the company can meet its long-term debt.

How to calculate the solvency ratio? ›

Calculating Solvency Ratio: The Process

Insert the after-tax net operating income as the numerator and the total debt obligations as the denominator within the Solvency Ratio formula: {Solvency Ratio} = {After-tax Net Operating Income} {Total Debt Obligations} × 100 If required, convert the result into a percentage.

What is a good solvency ratio for an insurance company? ›

What is a reasonable solvency ratio for an Insurance Company? As per the requirements of IRDAI, insurance companies must maintain a solvency ratio of 1.5. Anything higher than this is considered a good solvency ratio.

What is the capital adequacy ratio with an example? ›

The Capital Adequacy Ratio set standards for banks by looking at a bank's ability to pay liabilities, and respond to credit risks and operational risks. A bank that has a good CAR has enough capital to absorb potential losses. Thus, it has less risk of becoming insolvent and losing depositors' money.

What if capital adequacy ratio is high? ›

High capital adequacy ratio is good because it indicates that the bank is in a better position to deal with unexpected losses due to availability of adequate capital.

Why is capital adequacy? ›

Capital adequacy ratio refers to a bank's capital in relation to its risk. It indicates whether a bank is able to pay its financial obligations. Financial regulators use CAR to determine the financial soundness of banks. The higher the ratio, the better positioned a bank is when it comes to stability.

What is the solvency ratio for banks? ›

The solvency ratio is used to determine the minimum amount of common equity banks must maintain on their balance sheets. The solvency ratio—also known as the risk-based capital ratio—is calculated by taking the regulatory capital divided by the risk-weighted assets.

How to improve solvency ratio? ›

It can be achieved by increasing the level of equity, reducing the level of debt, and increasing the level of assets in the company. By implementing these strategies, companies can improve their solvency ratio and become more financially stable.

Why is a higher solvency ratio better? ›

A company with high solvency ratios is more likely to meet its debt obligations, reducing the risk of loan default. Lenders may offer such companies better terms or interest rates due to their lower risk profile. Risk Assessment. Solvency ratios provide crucial insights into a company's financial risk.

What is the Solvency II ratio of capital adequacy? ›

Under Solvency II, capital requirements are determined on the basis of a 99.5% value-at-risk measure over one year, meaning that enough capital must be held to cover the market-consistent losses that may occur over the next year with a confidence level of 99.5%, resulting from changes in market values of assets held by ...

What is the capital adequacy ratio addresses a bank's level of solvency? ›

CAR, or the capital adequacy ratio, is a comparison of the available capital that a bank has on hand to its risk-weighted assets. The ratio provides a quick idea of whether a bank has enough funds to cover losses and remain solvent under difficult financial circ*mstances.

What is the primary difference between a liquidity ratio and a solvency ratio? ›

While liquidity ratios focus on a firm's ability to meet short-term obligations, solvency ratios consider a company's long-term financial wellbeing.

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