Reverse stress tests can be a useful tool to evaluate bank resilience to a credit shock, especially in environments where financial data are limited or opaque. This paper develops a simple and transparent country-level banking sector resilience indicator that focuses on tail risks, the...

Reverse stress tests can be a useful tool to evaluate bank resilience to a credit shock, especially in environments where financial data are limited or opaque. This paper develops a simple and transparent country-level banking sector resilience indicator that focuses on tail risks, the...

Economic frictions such as information asymmetries and economic forces such as economies of scale and scope give rise to financial intermediaries. These frictions and forces also shape market structure. While technological advances are not new to finance, digital innovation has brought major...

Fintech-the application of digital technology to financial services—is reshaping thefuture of finance. Digital technologies are revolutionizing payments, lending, investment,insurance, and other financial products and services-and the COVID-19 pandemic hasaccelerated this process....

This paper examines the evolving importance of banks and securities markets during the process of economic development. As economies develop, they increase their demand for the services provided by securities markets relative to those provided by banks, such that securities markets become...

This paper introduces the Global Financial Development Database, an extensive dataset of financial system characteristics for 205 economies from 1960 to 2010. The database includes measures of (a) size of financial institutions and markets (financial depth), (b) degree to which individuals can...