Informal financial institutions (IFIs), among them the ubiquitous rotating savings and credit associations, are of ancient origin. Owned and self-managed by local people, poor and non-poor, they are self-help organizations which mobilize their own resources, cover their costs and finance their...

We provide an estimate of the size of the shadow banking sector in Europe. We compare it to the shadow banking sector in the U.S. and discuss potential extensions and open issues related to data availability as well as the inclusion of aspects of hedge funds activities and exchange-traded funds....

This paper examines the ongoing integration of banks and markets through the blurring of boundaries between them. It considers how this integration affects the raison d'etre of banks and its implications for the future evolution of banks, systemic risk and prudential regulation. Shadow banks, PE...

This paper reviews the literature on how the evolution of banks and markets is blurring the distinction between them, and the implications of this for post-crisis regulation of banks and markets. Unanswered research questions are identified

In this chapter we examine the implications of the increasing integration of banks and financial markets for the evolution of each as well the design of prudential regulation. The growth of the use of depository-banking-originated mortgage-backed securities sold in the market and used as...

Owing to the disruptive events in the shadow banking system during the global financial crisis, policymakers and regulators have sought to strengthen the monitoring framework and to identify any remaining regulatory gaps. In accordance with its mandate, the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB)...