The International Expansion of the Norwegian Banks

We discuss the expansion of Norwegian banks abroad in the post-World War II era. The Norwegian case gives us an opportunity to examine the determinants of the strategies that banks from a small county have followed in their international expansion. At least two issues emerge as important. The first issue is the role of regulation as goad and handicap to internationalization. Regulations influenced when, where, how and why the Norwegian banks expanded abroad. The second issue is the role of the competition and cooperation (including joint ventures) between banks.