The Reserve Bank has pushed the implementation date for new minimum capital requirements for banks out by a year to the beginning of 2014.
The requirements are part of the so-called Basel 3 reforms to strengthen the international banking system following the financial crisis.
The Reserve Bank's latest proposals on how the reforms will be implemented in New Zealand were released late last week.
It says some banks had raised concerns about being able to meet a 2013 deadline.
Massey University banking lecturer David Tripe says implementation in New Zealand will be still ahead of most of the world.
However, he says local banks are in good shape to comply with the new rules, which include minimum capital equal to 10.5% of assets, up from 8% now.
Basel 3 also requires banks to have a cyclical buffer of up to 2.5% extra capital to be built up during credit expansions to absorb potential losses in a downturn.
