An outline of APRA's final thinking on proposals for updated capital requirements will be clear in the next few months, with the bank regulator resolving to press on in the absence of any final framework for "Basel IV".Speaking at an economics forum on Friday, Wayne Byres, chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, reiterated APRA's pursuit of "the first recommendation of the Financial System Inquiry: that we should set capital standards so that the capital ratios of our deposit-takers are 'unquestionably strong.' "We have been doing quite a bit of thinking on this issue, but had held off taking action until the international work in Basel on the bank capital regime had been completed.  Unfortunately, the timetable for that Basel work now seems less certain. It would be remiss of us to wait any longer."The major banks "have added in the order of 150 basis points to their CET1 ratios over the past couple of years," Byres noted.In anticipation of APRA's plans, the banking industry "has been assiduously building its capital strength," he said. "Assuming the industry continues to steadily build its capital, we expect it will be well placed to respond to future policy changes in an orderly manner."The APRA chief conceded the regulator's idiosyncratic approach to defining bank capital presented a challenge for banks, but said: "clearly, investors - both debt and equity - understand their underlying quality, and the Australian community gets great benefit from the market access that provides."