Presented to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in September 2015, this report seeks to identify key capital markets instruments that can help mobilize institutional investors to infrastructure and small and medium-sized enterprise financing in emerging market economies.

The condition of banking systems in developing countries strongly influences the design and effectiveness of economic adjustment policies. Bank portfolio weakness can limit the flexibility of interest rate policy, the scope of financial reforms, and the conduct of monetary and fiscal policy....

Australia’s four largest banks can be considered domestically systemic. They make up the lion’s share of the banking system, use similar business models, and are interconnected. The top four banks are relatively similar in terms of systemic importance, partly reflecting the authorities’...

The Thai financial system faced a crisis in 1983. Weak managerial practices and an inadequate legal and regulatory framework were associated with a gradual deterioration in many financial institutions’ balance sheets; these weaknesses were brought to the fore by a sharp economic downturn in...

This paper compares experiences with banking crises in seven countries in order to analyze the factors governing the crises and the effectiveness of measures to deal with the problems. The linkages between deregulation of the financial sector, and financial crises are examined. The portfolio...

This paper seeks to draw lessons for financial sector regulation and supervision and central bank liquidity management from the ongoing crisis, focusing principally on implications for the future rather than on immediate crisis management policies. Inadequacies in macroeconomic policies and the...

The study shows that the global financial crisis has adversely affected Kuwait’s financial system, especially in the Investment Company (IC) sector. Stress tests indicate that, in contrast to the ICs, the banking system could broadly withstand significant shocks. The Central Bank of...

This paper presents a technical note on Crisis Management Arrangements for the United States. The crisis has seen widespread systemic instability, large-scale fiscal support, and an increase in moral hazard. The lack of a formal systematic process for the assessment of risks may have contributed...

This staff report discusses Israel’s 2009 Article IV Consultation on economic developments and policies. The economy has been shielded from the global downturn by the absence of prior housing or bank credit booms, high household savings rates, and the fact that investment goods and...

Kuwait’s economy was affected significantly by the global crisis. The financial sector experienced funding pressures and deterioration in asset quality. The economic outcome depends largely on government spending and the associated private investment. Stress tests indicate that the...