In Quest of the Bank Lending Channel: Evidence for Switzerland using Individual Bank Data

We study the role of bank capital and liquidity in the transmission of monetary policy in Switzerland. Using a large set of data, we test the assumptions that the effect of a change in the monetary policy stance on a bank's lending activity depends (i) on its capital (the bank capital channel) and (ii) on its liquidity base (the "traditional" bank lending channel). Our findings are consistent with the first hypothesis: lending by banks with a relatively weak capital base reacts more to a change in the monetary policy stance than lending by better capitalised banks. Liquidity, on the other hand, does not appear to play a role in this context. This result constitutes evidence for the existence of a bank lending channel in Switzerland.