Formal enforcement actions issued against banks for violations of laws and regulations related to safety and soundness can theoretically have both positive and negative effects on the terms of lending. Using data on such enforcement actions issued against U.S. banks, we show that they have a...

The positive relation between financial development and economic growth seems to have weakened in recent years and when analyzing only developed countries. We suggest here that banks' relative ability to intermediate funds cost-efficiently is a quality-based measure of financial development that...

This paper examines the fundamental relationship between retail payments and overall economic growth. Using data from across 27 European markets over the period 1995–2009, the results confirm that migration to efficient electronic retail payments stimulates overall economic growth, consumption...

This paper investigates the relative importance of Islamic banks, alongside their conventional counterparts, impacting the banking and financial development and economic welfare. Using a sample of 22 Muslim countries, with dual-banking systems, during the 1999-2011, this paper reports some...