This paper aims at providing some analysis and thoughts for the formulation of European and Central Asian (ECA) region financial sector development strategy through a review of the financial sector reform and development experiences in ECA as well as in some other regions of the world

In recent years, the Credit Rating Agencies (“CRAs”) have been in the eye of the storm. Some argue that CRA rating errors — symptomatized by rating inflation or deflation — originate in excessive competition. This paper argues that the low level of competition in credit rating is a...

The extended period of limited growth experienced until recently in many European countries raises the issue as to which policies could be most effective in improving their economic performance. This paper argues that further financial sector reforms may be a valuable complement to ongoing...

Many policy actions of the CMU have the objective to enhance access to finance for the so-called backbone of the European economy-the SMEs. The CMU aims at improving the framework conditions for SME financing, at strengthening bank lending-as the most important external financing source for...

The extended period of limited growth experienced until recently in many European countries raises the issue as to which policies could be most effective in improving their economic performance. This paper argues that further financial sector reforms may be a valuable complement to ongoing...

The Banking Union increased bank capital requirements and tightened crisis response policy instruments, favoring bank resolutions or liquidations, while hindering bank bailouts. The ECB has gained new powers as the Eurozone's main supervisory authority and as the leading 'resolution or...

Understanding the interaction between bank solvency and funding cost is a crucial pre-requisite for stress-testing. In this paper we study the sensitivity of bank funding cost to solvency measures while controlling for various other measures of bank fundamentals. The analysis includes two...

This paper questions the relevance of using only the 5-year maturity CDS spreads to examine the CDS market response to the disclosure of a regulatory stress test results. Since the stress testing exercises are performed on short-term forward-looking stressed scenarios (1 to 3 years), we assume...

The paper assesses the main factors underlying the decreasing profitability in the European banking sector, in comparison with the US. It underscores in particular the role of low interest rates, lower concentration, tighter regulation and the absence of a deep and liquid capital market. A...