The European Commission's current initiative to commence consultations on the action plan to build a Capital Markets Union is to be welcomed. The objective must be to create a stable and sustainable financial system, providing all households and companies with appropriate access to financial...

Finance is a vital ingredient for economic growth, but there can also be too much of it. This study investigates what fifty years of data for OECD countries have to say about the role of the financial sector for economic growth and income inequality and draws policy implications. Over the past...

Die Coronapandemie hatte einschneidende Auswirkungen auf die Realwirtschaft. Dennoch ist die Kreditnachfrage von Unternehmen und Selbstständigen bisher nicht zurückgegangen, sondern gestiegen. Vor allem Sparkassen erwiesen sich durch ihre überdurchschnittliche Kreditvergabe als...

Die Coronapandemie hatte einschneidende Auswirkungen auf die Realwirtschaft. Dennoch ist die Kreditnachfrage von Unternehmen und Selbstständigen bisher nicht zurückgegangen, sondern gestiegen. Vor allem Sparkassen erwiesen sich durch ihre überdurchschnittliche Kreditvergabe als...

We analyze the main forces affecting financial system pro-cyclicality (the fact that developments in the financial sector can amplify business cycle fluctuations). We first review some major structural developments in financial markets that may influence pro-cyclicality and that have been...

This paper examines the current situation concerning financial inclusion and financial literacy in Kazakhstan and future prospects. Since 2000, the financial sector has been developing rapidly, driven by petrodollars, which has led to higher financial inclusion. However, the improvement in...

Financially constrained borrowers have the incentive to influence the appraisal process in order to increase borrowing or reduce the interest rate. We document that the average valuation bias for residential refinance transactions is above 5%. The bias is larger for highly leveraged...

This paper explores the influences of the approved results of loans cases, the loan applicants’ socioeconomic attributes in the decision of perusal loan. The results can improve the credit quality and avoid the misjudgment of screening personal loan customers and also establish a better...

This paper examines whether high levels of financial inclusion is associated with greater financial risk. The findings reveal that higher account ownership is associated with greater financial risk through high nonperforming loan and high cost inefficiency in the financial sector of developed...

A number of studies have addressed issues on Energy Efficiency (EE) pertaining to improving productivity, employment generation, and increased energy security. Investing EE reduces demand for electricity generation, reduces fiscal deficit and energy deficits. In this context, very few studies...