The Role of Financial Sector Competition for Monetary Policy

In this paper, we examine the impact of competition in the banking industry on ?nancial market activity. In particular, we explore this issue in a setting where banks simultaneously insure individuals against liquid- ity risk and o¤er loans to promote intertemporal consumption smoothing. In addition, spatial separation and private information generate a trans- actions role for money. Interestingly, we demonstrate that the industrial organization of the ?nancial system bears signi?cant implications for the e¤ects of monetary policy. Under perfect competition, higher rates of money growth lead to lower interest rates and a higher volume of lending activity. In contrast, in a monopoly banking sector, money growth restricts the availability of funds and raises the cost of borrowing.