We use bank-level data on 16 CESEE economies over 2005-2014 to assess the role of foreign banks in the region’s credit dynamics. We confirm that macroeconomic fundamentals of both host and home countries matter, as do the bank and parent bank characteristics. Moreover, we take a new approach by studying the drivers of differential credit growth between parent banks and their foreign subsidiaries. Host country macroeconomic fundamentals cease to play a significant role, while bank-level characteristics and in particular parent bank-level characteristics remain important. From policymakers’ perspective, the paper provides further empirical evidence on the importance of monitoring the health of foreign parent banks as well as the potential regulatory changes in their home jurisdictions.
This book provides an in-depth analysis of the role of foreign-owned banks for credit growth, financial stability and economic growth in the post-communist European countries. Using data covering 20 countries over the period from 1995 to 2015, the authors analyse the evolution of banking sectors in CESEE after the transformation in the historical context. This helps draw a new picture of the role of financial development and EU accession in that region, being also a lesson for other countries or regions in transition. Additionally, as the Global Financial Crisis has left a stigma in banking sectors, the book shows its impact on the post-communist banking sectors. As the foreign banks dominate the banking sectors in CESEE countries (the stake of foreign-owned banks is below 50% of assets in only five out of 20 countries), their strategies materially impact the development of CESEE banking sectors, which warrants our scientific exploration. Arriving at a clear concluding point of view on the role of foreign-owned banks and providing insights for future policy of CESEEs towards foreign presence in their banking sectors, this book should be of interest to academics, students, and policymakers.
The paper investigates the non-performing loans (NPLs) in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE) in the period of 1998–2011. The paper finds that the level of NPLs can be attributed to both macroeconomic conditions and banks’ specific factors, though the latter set of factors was found to have a relatively low explanatory power. The examination of the feedback effects broadly confirms the strong macro-financial linkages in the region. While NPLs were found to respond to macroeconomic conditions, such as GDP growth, unemployment, and inflation, the analysis also indicates that there are strong feedback effects from the banking system to the real economy, thus suggesting that the high NPLs that many CESEE countries currently face adversely affect the pace economic recovery.
We investigate whether foreign ownership in the banking sector is a key determinant of its stability in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European (CESEE) countries, as there is no consensus in the current literature on emerging markets. To this end, we introduce a financial strength index (FSI) as a proxy for financial stability. We used binary regressions for both pooled and panel data to model bank- and country-level data for 20 CESEE countries from 1995 to 2014. Our findings indicate that there is no significant direct link between the share of foreign-owned banks and stability in CESEE banking sectors; instead, financial stability is dependent on banks' credit policies and their balance sheet structures, irrespective of the type of ownership. We argue that positive macroeconomic development drives financial stability in CESEE countries, increases penetration by foreign banks and encourages them to expand through the pursuit of aggressive credit policies. Such policies, rather than the share of foreign capital per se, may have negative impacts on financial stability, exacerbating boom-bust cycles.
This book offers new insights into the real and financial sectors in the post-pandemic European Union, with a specific focus on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and a special reference to Croatia. The contributors examine the timeliness, justification, and appropriateness of the measures taken in response to the deteriorating economic conditions and the associated outcomes. They further discuss various aspects of economic, financial, and energy policy. While doing so, they focus on two important issues. The first is an analysis and assessment of the financial development and performance of the real sector. The second is an insight into the institutional dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the discussion of obstacles and opportunities for recovery in the near future. The topics covered in this book include, but are not limited to, unconventional monetary policy, financial cycles, fiscal incentives, institutional development and institutional quality, the banking system, real estate markets, competitiveness, pension systems, financial regulation, energy markets, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, as well as agricultural policy. Therefore, this volume will appeal to researchers, students, and scholars of finance and economics, as well as policy-makers interested in a better understanding of real and financial sectors, economic policy, and post-pandemic economic development in Central and Eastern Europe.
This year, the Vienna Initiative marks its 10th anniversary. For this special occasion, the Steering Committee has prepared a commemorative book, with essays and contributions from the key actors and institutions instrumental to the work of the Vienna Initiative since its inception. This volume provides a unique window on the Vienna Initiative's innovative crisis mitigation activities, its subsequent evolution and its current scope. At the time of the Lehman crisis, international institutions, national authorities and international commercial banks collaborated closely, taking full responsibility for their strategies in the CESEE region and voluntarily providing firm commitments on their activities. In the form of the Vienna Inititive, they built a functioning coordination platform, capable of transforming and evolving according to changing needs. Ten years later, this coordination platform remains an important of effective inter-institutional and private-private sector cooperation. The establishment of the Vienna Initiative was far from easy. However, given the size of euro area banks' cross-border operations in CESEE, a disorderly deleveraging would have been very costly for both CESEE countries and the foreign banks. With this in mind, the main stakeholders eventually got together to participate in the Vienna Initiative and achieve its main objective. The foreign banking groups committed to maintain their presence in the region, while the EIB, EBRD and the World Bank Group provided substantial financing to banks and the real economy. These efforts had a major positive impact on the region. They helped curb liquidity disruptions and restore confidence in the banking system, while alleviating balance of payments pressures. This coordinated response from commercial banks and IFIs was a prerequisite for the success of the IMF-funded macroeconomic adjustment programs in several CESEE countries. Over time, the Vienna Initiative has transformed itself from a crisis mitigation instrument to a broader coordination platform, dealing with the unique challenges of widespread cross-border banking with regulatory and supervisory interdependence, while supporting the emergence of an efficient, deep and sound banking and financial sector that supports growth in the region. In particular, with CESEE countries on a solid recovery path, the focus has shifted to tackling the legacy problem of high NPLs, or to dealing with the impact of the EU's upgraded institutional framework – particularly the creation of the Banking Union – on the host countries, most of which do not participate in the Banking Union. With the region needing to transform, up-scale its innovation capabilities and adjust to technological change, a dedicated working group has been set up to propose measures that could improve access to finance for innovative firms which typically lack tangible assets and thus may have hard time obtaining standard bank loans in a system that still offers limited alternatives. The Vienna Initiative has been a major achievement of international coordination and an important instrument for the future of the CESEE region.
The Oxford Handbook of Banking, Third Edition provides an overview and analysis of developments and research in this rapidly evolving field. Aimed at graduate students of economics, banking, and finance; academics; practitioners; regulators; and policy makers, it strikes a balance between abstract theory, empirical analysis, and practitioner and policy-related material. Split into five distinct parts The Oxford Handbook of Banking is a one-stop source of relevant research in banking. It examines the theory of banking, bank operations and performance, regulatory and policy perspectives, macroeconomic perspectives in banking, and international differences in banking structures and environments. Taking a global perspective it examines banking systems in the United States, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, the European Union, transition countries of Europe, and Latin America. Thematic issues covered include financial innovation and technological change; consumer and mortgage lending; Islamic banking; and how banks influence real economic activity. Fully revised and now including brand new chapters on a range of geographical regions, bank bailouts and bail-ins, and behavioral economics amongst many other topics, this third edition of The Oxford Handbook of Banking provides readers with insights to seminal and contemporary research in banking and an opportunity to learn about the diversity of financial systems around the world.
Several countries in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe used a rich set of prudential instruments in response to last decade’s credit and housing boom and bust cycles. We collect detailed information on these policy measures in a comprehensive database covering 16 countries at a quarterly frequency. We use this database to investigate whether the policy measures had an impact on housing price inflation. Our evidence suggests that some—but not all—measures did have an impact. These measures were changes in the minimum CAR and non-standard liquidity measures (marginal reserve requirements on foreign funding, marginal reserve requirements linked to credit growth).
This edited volume of International Finance Review examines the rising challenges facing emerging financial markets and institutions. It provides significant insight and policy implications on topics including global banking, risk and contagion, stock market behaviour, financial inclusion in the major emerging economies, and more.
This note provides guidance to facilitate the staff’s advice on macroprudential policy in Fund surveillance. It elaborates on the principles set out in the “Key Aspects of Macroprudential Policy,” taking into account the work of international standard setters as well as the evolving country experience with macroprudential policy. The main note is accompanied by supplements offering Detailed Guidance on Instruments and Considerations for Low Income Countries
