The Norwegian overnight interbank market during the Covid pandemic

We analyse the behaviour of the Norwegian unsecured overnight interbank market in response to heightened uncertainty and the central bank's liquidity support measures following the Covid-19 pandemic. The liquidity measures enabled banks to fulfil their liquidity needs primarily through participation in extraordinary liquidity auctions. The distribution of central bank reserves across banks did not change due to these measures, but interbank trading fell sharply. Ample liquidity support through the auctions and low interbank trading contributed to low and overly stable overnight rates. Actually, throughout our sample period from 2017 to 2021, the overnight rates remained largely unaffected by fluctuations in uncertainty and overall liquidity conditions.publishedVersio

Peer Monitoring vs. Search Costs in the Interbank Market: Evidence from Payment Flow Data in Norway

Bilateral payment flows between banks may provide private information about a borrowing bank’s liquidity position. This paper analyses whether private information on the bilateral payment flow of central bank reserves foster peer monitoring or whether the information is used to reduce search costs in the unsecured interbank market. In the former, banks with outflows of liquidity are penalized by their counterparties, while in the latter, these banks benefit through reduced search costs to find a liquidity provider. I use data from Norges Bank’s real time gross settlement system over the period 2012 to 2015 to identify unsecured overnight interbank loans and payment flows. The results suggest that banks are using private information from payment flows to reduce search costs and not for peer monitoring. This has important implications for regulators’ assessment of the pros and cons of a centralized versus a decentralized interbank market.publishedVersio

Peer Monitoring vs. Search Costs in the Interbank Market: Evidence from Payment Flow Data in Norway

Bilateral payment flows between banks may provide private information about a borrowing bank’s liquidity position. This paper analyses whether private information on the bilateral payment flow of central bank reserves foster peer monitoring or whether the information is used to reduce search costs in the unsecured interbank market. In the former, banks with outflows of liquidity are penalized by their counterparties, while in the latter, these banks benefit through reduced search costs to find a liquidity provider. I use data from Norges Bank’s real time gross settlement system over the period 2012 to 2015 to identify unsecured overnight interbank loans and payment flows. The results suggest that banks are using private information from payment flows to reduce search costs and not for peer monitoring. This has important implications for regulators’ assessment of the pros and cons of a centralized versus a decentralized interbank market

Norwegian Interbank Market’s Response to Changes in Liquidity Policy

We investigate pricing and activity in the Norwegian unsecured overnight interbank market in response to a shift in the central bank's liquidity policy. In October 2011, to encourage interbank trading, banks were allotted quotas for their overnight deposits with remuneration at the key policy rate while that on overnight deposits beyond allotted quotas was set one percentage point lower. In addition, a target range for banks' total overnight deposits was introduced and supported by open market operations to counteract not only temporary liquidity shortfalls, but also surpluses. We document substantially higher interbank trading, lower interbank interest rates relative to the policy rate as well as lower interest rate volatility following the policy shift. Notably, while overnight interbank interest rates were generally above the key policy rate before the policy shift, they have been close to but generally below the key policy rate afterwards.publishedVersio

Norwegian Interbank Market’s Response to Changes in Liquidity Policy

We investigate pricing and activity in the Norwegian unsecured overnight interbank market in response to a shift in the central bank's liquidity policy. In October 2011, to encourage interbank trading, banks were allotted quotas for their overnight deposits with remuneration at the key policy rate while that on overnight deposits beyond allotted quotas was set one percentage point lower. In addition, a target range for banks' total overnight deposits was introduced and supported by open market operations to counteract not only temporary liquidity shortfalls, but also surpluses. We document substantially higher interbank trading, lower interbank interest rates relative to the policy rate as well as lower interest rate volatility following the policy shift. Notably, while overnight interbank interest rates were generally above the key policy rate before the policy shift, they have been close to but generally below the key policy rate afterwards