This study utilizes new data across countries on bank supervision for the years 1999?2016 to examine the impact of supervisory power and institutional characteristics of supervision on the key stability measures of the banking sector. Our results reveal that the degree of supervisory power and changes in financial supervisory architecture following the global financial crisis tend to enhance the banking sector stability. This study also finds that central banks’ monopolistic involvement in banking supervision appears to strengthen the banking sector stability and the independence of supervisory authority. However, this effect of monopolistic status of central banks in banking supervision countervails the positive effect of the degree of supervisory power and changes in financial supervisory architecture on the soundness of banking sector. These findings shed light on the significance of bank supervisory power and institutional architecture in ensuring the banking sector stability.