Banks use a mix of wholesale and deposit funds to finance lending. If a country is a net importer of wholesale funds, then a financial crisis in a foreign country can 'infect' the banking system by raising the cost of wholesale funds. Indeed, countries such as Australia imported a crisis through...

This paper traces the evolution of the Australian financial system from 1788 to the current day showing how institutions have evolved to meet the changing needs of the economy. Governors in the earliest periods struggled with an inappropriate legal and regulatory structure; and the economy...