Solvency II defines minimum capital requirements from insurance companies, due to their exposure to risk. Regulatory bodies of the Brazilian insurance market issued regulations based on a deterministic model for the calculation of risk based capital. In this study, we discuss a simple...

The common currency was created as a result of theoretical considerations regarding the functioning of optimum currency areas. This theory refers to a number of benefits as well as costs. It imposes a number of requirements that are necessary for the newly created structure to be considered...

Since revelations of the Greek fiscal deficit in the fall of 2009, the breakup of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has moved from unthinkable to plausible. The debate over the future of the EMU has become increasingly relevant, as numerous efforts to solve the Greek crisis have not been...

Europe’s financial landscape has substantial institutional variety. This reflects different societal responses to (or preferences with regard to) trade-offs. For monetary policy, it implies a challenging environment, particularly in times of financial crises. Using a non-linear VAR-model we...