We assess the impact of introducing an efficient payment system on financial intermediation. Two channels are investigated. Innovations in wholesale payments technology enhance the security and speed of inside money as a payment medium for customers and therefore affect the split between...

This paper provides an analysis of the competitive process in the market for personal current accounts in the United Kingdom. Using survey data, we first describe some stylised developments in this market over our sample period (1996-2001). We find a gradual change in the distribution of market...

Systemic risk is a key concern for central banks charged with safeguarding overall financial stability. In this paper we investigate how systemic risk is affected by the structure of the financial system. We construct banking systems that are composed of a number of banks that are connected by...