13 Mar 2023

Silicon Valley Bank: Regulators race to stop contagion

From Nine To Noon, 9:25 am on 13 March 2023
People line up outside the shuttered Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) headquarters on 10 March, 2023 in Santa Clara, California.

People line up outside the closed Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on 10 March 2023. Photo: AFP / Getty Images

US regulators have shut down a major bank and taken control of its customer deposits in the largest failure of a US bank since 2008.

Silicon Valley Bank, a key tech lender, was scrambling to raise money to plug a loss from the sale of assets affected by higher interest rates. Its troubles prompted a rush of customer withdrawals and sparked fears about the state of the banking sector. 

New Zealand space company Rocket Lab, which is listed in the United States has $38 million, or 7.9 per cent, of its cash with the failed bank but says it is not facing a liquidity issue. 

Kathryn talks to Mayra Rodríguez Valladares,a financial risk consultant who trains bankers and regulators.