Understanding the global financial crisis and the stresses on bank balance sheets requires a perspective on banks’ international investment positions and how these positions were funded across currencies and counterparties. This special feature uses the BIS international banking statistics to...

Among the policy responses to the global financial crisis, the international provision of US dollars via central bank swap lines stands out. This paper studies the build-up of stresses on banks' balance sheets that led to this coordinated policy response. Using the BIS international banking...

The BIS consolidated banking statistics have been expanded to better capture banks’ country risk exposures. The expanded statistics provide for the first time information about banks’ derivatives and contingent exposures, as well as additional details about the reallocation of risk exposures

London’s interbank market went through a sectoral shift in recent years. The rate at which banks channel funds back into the interbank market declined sharply following the introduction of the euro and the subsequent contraction in foreign exchange trading. Surplus dollars from the banking...

Activity in the international banking market has grown in recent years, both in absolute terms and relative to aggregate measures of economic activity and liquidity. By establishing a global outreach, several international banking centres have become key players in this market. This feature...

The recent period of financial turmoil has had a significant impact on banks’ global balance sheet positions. This piece uses the BIS international banking statistics to trace the longer-term developments in the interbank market which contributed to the funding difficulties experienced during...

Over the past decade, many emerging markets have increased their dependence on credit from foreign banks. However, the ongoing financial crisis may prompt banks to reassess their exposures to these economies. Panel regression analysis of data since the early 1990s indicates that a deterioration...

The structure of the international banking market has evolved in important ways since the introduction of the euro in 1999. In comparison to legacy currencies, the use of the euro in cross-border banking transactions grew on aggregate, and the bilateral linkages within the euro area became more...

Interest rate differentials have been a driving force behind exchange rate movements in recent years. This has focused market attention on the role of currency carry trade positions, and on the possibility that a sudden unwinding might adversely affect financial stability. However, carry trades...

This paper illustrates various applications of the BIS international banking statistics. We first compare international bank flows to measures of real activity and liquidity and show that the international banking system is becoming a more important conduit for the transfer of capital across...