This article is divided into four sections. In the first one, we describe the origin and history of investment banking, with particular focus on the economic conditions that led to its birth in the United States. The second part considers those products offered by investments banks which are...

Since 1 June 2003 the file of the Central Office for Credits to Private Individuals has recorded information relating to all consumer credits and mortgage loans contracted by natural persons for private purposes, as well as any payment defaults resulting from these loans. This registration aims...

At the request of the Minister for Climate and Energy, Paul Magnette, who is also responsible for Consumer Affairs, the NBB's Microeconomic Analysis Service conducted an investigation into the link between payment arrears for mobile telephony and arrears on loan repayments. In this inquiry,...

The service sector is an avenue for economic transformation as not all countries have a competitive edge in manufacturing. The growing literature on service sector primarily focuses on its development in the US and Europe and on Asian emerging service economies like India. Not as much attention...

We study the sensitivity of banks' credit supply to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in the UK to banks' financial condition before and during the financial crisis. Employing unique data on the geographical location of all bank branches in the UK, we connect firms' access to bank credit...

Present article is contextualized in an evolved market as the banking where there is a high level of competition that leads in many cases to the marketing of wide range of financial products based on limited information or untransparent, presence of surprise or unfair terms or other type of...

This paper examines progressive changes in productivity of the European stock exchange industry using non-parametric frontier techniques.Within the framework of Malmquist indices, total factor productivity growth is decomposed into technological progress and technical efficiency change for a...

Central securities depositories (CSDs) have opened mutual links, but most of them are seldom used.Why are idle links established? By allowing a foreign CSD to offer services through the link the domestic CSD invites competition.The domestic CSD can determine the cost efficiency of the rival by...

This paper presents a model depicting cross-border payment systems as a mixed oligopoly.A private net settlement system that maximises profit competes with the central banks' gross settlement system that maximises welfare.It may be optimal for the central bank system to encourage increased use...

This paper presents a model on the demand for money market funds (MMFs).These funds are a very close substitute for M1 deposits, except that MMFs do not satisfy immediate transaction requirements. The demand for MMFs strengthens when the intended volume of transactions is low.A high interest...