We investigate the determinants of cross-border lending in the euro zone with a focus on the potentially limiting role of cultural and political factors. Employing a unique data set of European cross-border loans, the study uses various specifications of gravity models, which are subsequently...

The surge in cross-border banking prior to global financial crises took place not only in the interbank market but also in the retail market, e.g. between banks and their private customers abroad. We utilize confidential data to estimate for the first time the effects of banking, currency and...

We demonstrate that the European Monetary Union (EMU) increases cross-border depositing but not lending among EMU countries by 31%. While being a member of the European Union (EU) increases cross-border loans by 49%, cross-border deposit volumes are unaffected.

This chapter reviews the integration experiences and policies in Germany before and after the so-called “refugee crisis’. Chancellor Angela Merkel's famous words ‘wir schaffen das’ (we manage this) have mobilized both policy actions and a massive grassroots engagement. In this context,...