In this paper I review the theory of financial intermediation in order to explain the existence of banks. In the traditional neoclassical models of resource allocation, financial intermediaries play no role. When markets are perfect and complete there is no need for intermediaries. But banks...

This paper explores the role of diversification and size in protecting information. We present a simple two period credit market with a sophisticated lender faced with competitors who free ride on his screening activity. Absent commitment problems, the lender funds one borrower and exerts...

The current focus of financial policy measures in nearly all G20 countries is to rescue commercial banks by running high bail-out programs. If banks can be bailed-out, or rescued from their present plight, everything will be getting better - that is, by large, the self-proclaimed belief, or...

Does financial development contribute to economic growth? The literature finds that an expansion in financial resources is useful for economic growth if the degree of financial development is under a certain threshold; otherwise, the expansion is detrimental to growth. Almost every published...

This study focuses on the role of financial development in the economic growth of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European (CESEE) countries in the post-communist era (1995–2014), which coincides with the opening up of financial markets to foreign investors and the global financial crisis....

This paper reviews the research literature concerning financial repression. The paper then presents an empirical measure for financial repression in the US banking system entitled “The Financial Repression Index,” drawing upon public data going back to the early 1980s The paper draws some...

In an age of reform, Vietnam's financial systems have come to a critical stage in which the quality of policy-making, independence of the central banking operations and over-risk controls will ultimately be required if the country is set to move forward in a sustainable fashion. Analysts may...

Spanish Abstract: En este estudio se calculan y analizan algunos indicadores de concentración aplicados a la distribución departamental de: (i) captaciones (en pesos) de establecimientos bancarios, discriminadas en 7 productos financieros: depósitos en cuenta corriente bancaria, depósitos...

Finance professionals have expressed their views on values, fairness, and culture in the great debate about the global financial crisis and its aftermath. Yet, their positions remain precarious because they stand accused of instigating the crisis, because their views on values, fairness, and...

We study the extent to which the impact of tail risk spillovers, originating in the financial sector and affecting real-economy firms, depends on the level of cash holdings and the financial conditions of the firm. Empirical evidence on 4,320 firms located in 16 European countries, from 2003 to...