Reforming the Corporate Governance of Italian Banks
Reforming the Corporate Governance of Italian Banks

Author: Nadège Jassaud

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-09-25

Total Pages: 31

ISBN-13: 1484387511

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Sound corporate governance is essential for a well-functioning banking system and the integrity of financial markets. The paper discusses the corporate governance of Italian banks, its regulatory framework, and the specific challenges arising from the role played by foundations and large cooperatives. Although Italian banks have recently made progress in improving their corporate governance, more needs to be done. In this regard, further improvements should include: (i) strengthening further the existing banking regulations through stricter fit-and-proper rules for directors and controlling shareholders; (ii) implementing the new related party lending regulation with tightened definitions; (iii) strengthening oversight of foundations when they are the controlling shareholders in banks; and (iv) facilitating the transformation of large cooperatives into joint stock companies.

The Reform of Italian Cooperative Banks
The Reform of Italian Cooperative Banks

Author: MissEva Gutierrez

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2008-03-01

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13: 1451869363

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This paper argues that the governance framework of cooperative banks may hamper raising capital, particularly at time of distress, complicating the bank resolution process ?specially for large banks?and may not provide adequate incentives to control banks' management. Reforms should preserve the positive characteristics that make cooperative banks a valuable addition to the Italian financial system, while providing enough flexibility and incentives for banks to adopt a suitable governance model. Our empirical analysis suggests that cooperative banks may enjoy a higher degree of monopoly power than commercial banks. Thus, regulations and the enforcement of antitrust policies should ensure a leveled playing field.

Reforming the Corporate Governance of Italian Banks
Reforming the Corporate Governance of Italian Banks

Author: Nadège Jassaud

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-09-25

Total Pages: 31

ISBN-13: 1484372603

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Sound corporate governance is essential for a well-functioning banking system and the integrity of financial markets. The paper discusses the corporate governance of Italian banks, its regulatory framework, and the specific challenges arising from the role played by foundations and large cooperatives. Although Italian banks have recently made progress in improving their corporate governance, more needs to be done. In this regard, further improvements should include: (i) strengthening further the existing banking regulations through stricter fit-and-proper rules for directors and controlling shareholders; (ii) implementing the new related party lending regulation with tightened definitions; (iii) strengthening oversight of foundations when they are the controlling shareholders in banks; and (iv) facilitating the transformation of large cooperatives into joint stock companies.

Italy
Italy

Author: International Monetary Fund. European Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2013-09-27

Total Pages: 91

ISBN-13: 161635433X

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This Selected Issues paper presents Italy’s economic growth through innovation and reforms. It highlights that Italy’s future competitiveness depends on the institutional and macroeconomic conditions that allow productive firms to innovate, expand, and attract inward foreign direct investment (FDI) that in turn will require the successful implementation of the authorities’ full structural- and institutional-reform agenda. The IMF report focuses on the enforcement of civil and commercial claims in Italy as a key way to improve the environment for sustaining economic growth. There has been considerable interest in the possibility of introducing a comprehensive wealth tax in Italy, reflecting the public resistance to spending-only austerity.

Corporate Governance in Italy after the 1998 Reform
Corporate Governance in Italy after the 1998 Reform

Author: Marcello Bianchi

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13:

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In February 1998 the Italian Government passed an Act reforming the law on financial services, stock exchanges and listed companies. With regard to listed companies, the reform was intended to strengthen minority shareholders' rights. The idea behind the new rules on corporate governance was that active institutional investors would make use, if necessary, of these rights in their monitoring of listed companies. A reduction of the agency costs stemming from the separation between ownership and control in listed companies would follow, with beneficial effects for shareholders' wealth and for the Italian economy as a whole. This paper tries to answer two questions: first, whether the changes in the law resulting from the 1998 reform encourage institutional investor activism in Italy; and second, whether, legal rules aside, it is reasonable to expect significant institutional investor activism in Italy. We provide, then, both an empirical analysis of the factors affecting institutional investor activism in Italy and a legal analysis of the most relevant changes in the Italian mutual funds and corporate laws, following the 1998 reform. The former analysis shows that institutional shareholdings and investment strategies are compatible with the hypothesis that institutional investors can play a significant role in the corporate governance of Italian listed companies. However, a curb to their playing such an active role may derive from the predominance of mutual fund managers belonging to banking groups (giving rise to conflicts of interest) and from the prevailing ownership structure of listed companies, which are still dominated by controlling shareholders holding stakes higher than, or close to, the majority of the capital (implying a weaker bargaining power of institutions vis-a-vis controllers). The analysis of the legal changes prompted by the 1998 financial markets and corporate law reform indicates that the legal environment is now definitely more favorable to institutional investor activism than before. However, the Italian legal environment proves still to be little favorable to institutional investor activism, when compared to that of the U.S. or the U.K.

Cleaning-up Bank Balance Sheets
Cleaning-up Bank Balance Sheets

Author: José Garrido

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2016-07-11

Total Pages: 33

ISBN-13: 1498357032

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To stabilize and bring down nonperforming loans (NPLs) in the Italian banking system, the Italian authorities have been implementing a number of reforms, aimed among others at speeding up insolvency and enforcement proceedings, strengthening bank corporate governance, cleaning up balance sheets, and facilitating bank consolidation. This paper examines the Italian banking system’s NPL problem, which ties up capital, weighing on bank profitability and authorities’ economic reforms. It argues for a comprehensive approach, encompassing economic, supervisory, and legal measures. The authorities’ reforms are important steps toward this end. The paper describes measures that could further support their actions.

Italian Corporate Governance in the Last 15 Years
Italian Corporate Governance in the Last 15 Years

Author: Marcello Bianchi

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13:

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Between 1990 and 2005 the Italian legal and economic framework relating to financial markets experienced major developments (a new Banking Law was passed, institutional investors' role increased in financial markets, the stock market was privatized, a securities law was enacted, a corporate governance code was introduced and then twice revised; a new company law has been enacted; the law on savings has further strengthened shareholders' protection). All these changes should have deeply affected the governance structure of Italian companies. We provide an in-depth (descriptive) analysis of the evolution of both unlisted and listed corporate governance over the period, with the aim of evaluating the effect of the reforms in the light of the recent theoretical developments. We find limited changes in the ownership and control structures of unlisted firms and listed companies. At the same time there is no substantial increase in the access to stock market.For both listed and unlisted companies we observe some changes in the instruments used to ensure stability of control. In unlisted companies the aim is pursued through an increasing use of by-laws clauses that restrict the transferability of shares; in listed companies the objective was reached in the past through an extensive use of pyramids, more recently by establishing shareholders' coalitions of various nature, with an increasing relevance of bank-firm relationships.This evidence shows that no radical change occurred; this suggests on the one side, that it might still be necessary to further strengthen shareholders' protection; on the other side, that the unwillingness of owners to release control is central in understanding the limited separation between ownership and control in Italy. The role of coalitions and the nature of the bank-firm relationships seem to be the main issues for both regulatory and market developments.

A History of Corporate Governance around the World
A History of Corporate Governance around the World

Author: Randall K. Morck

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2007-11-01

Total Pages: 700

ISBN-13: 0226536831

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For many Americans, capitalism is a dynamic engine of prosperity that rewards the bold, the daring, and the hardworking. But to many outside the United States, capitalism seems like an initiative that serves only to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few hereditary oligarchies. As A History of Corporate Governance around the World shows, neither conception is wrong. In this volume, some of the brightest minds in the field of economics present new empirical research that suggests that each side of the debate has something to offer the other. Free enterprise and well-developed financial systems are proven to produce growth in those countries that have them. But research also suggests that in some other capitalist countries, arrangements truly do concentrate corporate ownership in the hands of a few wealthy families. A History of Corporate Governance around the World provides historical studies of the patterns of corporate governance in several countries-including the large industrial economies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States; larger developing economies like China and India; and alternative models like those of the Netherlands and Sweden.

Italy
Italy

Author: International Monetary Fund. European Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-09-18

Total Pages: 75

ISBN-13: 1498360076

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The Selected Issues paper investigates options for improving the efficiency of the Italian judicial system and closing the regional performance gap. Better courts would bring about macroeconomic benefits, including increased employment opportunities, and higher productivity, investment, and research and development. The Italian financial system faces several challenges in order to restore profitability under weak growth conditions and to adapt to a changing global environment. This chapter explores ways of improving profitability and the challenges of shifting from a bank-based financial system, common in EU countries, to a more ‘market-based’ system. Along with this shift comes a diversification of financing sources, led by further development of capital markets. Budget allocation in Italy will need to increasingly rely on efficiency analysis to find savings and improve performance. The analysis in this chapter finds that large social spending in Italy, particularly current pensions, will need to be tackled to generate sizable expenditure savings. In education and non-pension social protection there is scope for improving outcomes with current resources. In other areas, reducing cross-regional variation in spending efficiency could also lead to savings. Reforms should focus on court management, rationalization of the appeal system, reduction of the backlog of pending cases, and wider use of out-of-court mediation.

Remaking Italian Capitalism? The Politics of Corporate Governance Reform
Remaking Italian Capitalism? The Politics of Corporate Governance Reform

Author: Richard Deeg

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 51

ISBN-13:

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This article addresses the issue of how to explain institutional change in national political economies. Within an actor-centered institutionalist theoretical framework, it explores the utility of a coalitional explanation for changes in the financial and corporate governance systems of Italy. Finance and corporate governance are useful foci for understanding change and the evolutionary direction of national political economies as a whole because, first, national and European reformers have focused a great deal of their energy on transforming financial market structures and corporate governance and, second, the regulation of finance and corporate governance is increasingly important as a means for states to exert influence over their economies. The paper finds considerable change in Italian capitalism as a result of successful elite reformers, party system changes, and the emergence of a reform coalition. However, change is limited and Italy retains a distinctive model of capitalism.