Understanding the global financial crisis and the stresses on bank balance sheets requires a perspective on banks' international investment positions and how these positions were funded across currencies and counterparties. This special feature uses the BIS international banking statistics to...

The recent period of financial turmoil has had a significant impact on banks' global balance sheet positions. This piece uses the BIS international banking statistics to trace the longer-term developments in the interbank market which contributed to the funding difficulties experienced during...

The financial crisis has led to a reconsideration of banks' global business models. This special feature draws on the BIS banking statistics to distinguish between "international" and "multinational" banks and the implied geographical funding patterns, and to consider how the crisis put these...

International banking centres have attracted renewed interest recently, as established centres compete over more dimensions while new centres emerge. Comparative studies often focus on indicators of financial activity in a particular location, but the prominence of an international banking...

Natural disasters resulting in significant losses have become more frequent in recent decades, with 2011 being the costliest year in history. Sebastian von Dahlen (International Association of Insurance Supervisors) and Goetz von Peter (BIS) explore how risk is transferred within and beyond the...

Cross-border bank lending to emerging markets slowed sharply during the taper tantrum. The abruptness of this slowdown varied considerably across both lenders and borrowers. We use newly available data to explain the drivers of this cross-sectional variation. Although the initial tapering shock...

Non-financial corporations from emerging market economies (EMEs) have increased their external borrowing significantly through the offshore issuance of debt securities. Having obtained funds abroad, the foreign affiliate of a non-financial corporation could transfer funds to its home country via...

Contingent convertible capital instruments (CoCos) are hybrid capital securities that absorb losses when the capital of the issuing bank falls below a certain level. In this article, we go over the structure of CoCos, trace the evolution of their issuance, and examine their pricing in primary...

US dollar credit is growing quickly outside the United States, especially in Asia, and in some economies it has outpaced overall credit growth. Cross-border sources of credit bear watching in view of their record of outgrowing overall credit in credit booms. Foreign currency and cross-border...

Global liquidity has become a key focus of international policy debates over recent years. The concept of global liquidity, however continues to be used in a variety of ways and this ambiguity can lead to potentially undesirable policy responses. This feature attempts to further the...