The Asian and European Banking Systems: The case of Spain in the quest for development and stability

After a brief review of the literature on the determinants of financial development, the paper reviews the Asian and European financial systems in terms of their size and efficiency. It also compares the steps taken in the two regions in the quest for financial development and stability, which in a few cases are very similar but differ markedly in others. While there has been a clear move towards a more balanced financial structure in both regions, financial liberalization, as well as the strengthening of bank regulation and supervision occurred later in Asia and with a different speed and sequencing. The most striking difference between the two areas is the degree of international - and regional – financial integration, much lower for Asia. Finally, the case of Spain - as a European country with a finance-led convergence process - is analyzed in more detail. Lessons are drawn from the Spanish experience for Asian countries.Financial development, financial liberalization, Spanish financial system

INVESTING IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR OF EMERGING COUNTRIES: POTENTIAL RISK AND HOW TO MANAGE THEM

The purpose of this article is to assess how the changing operations of international banks in emerging countries in the last decades have altered the risks they face as well as their mitigation techniques. The recent expansion of the international banking business through the setup of branches and subsidiaries has increased business potential, but has also changed the nature of the risks faced. Nevertheless, it is hard to determine whether risks, on the whole, are larger now than when cross- border operations were the main instrument for international banks’ activity. In addition, the article describes the various channels through which the risks faced by banks operating in emerging countries increase in times of crisis, especially when operating locally and in highly dollarized host countries, as shown in the latest crisis events. While the financial independence of subsidiaries may be considered an important tool of risk control, the possibilities to mitigate risks in local markets during times of crisis are generally scarce. This could be due to the relatively recent expansion of foreign banks’ local operations in emerging countries, as compared to the cross-border business, together with the relative underdevelopment of local financial markets, or perhaps to the nature of the local business itself.financial, foreign direct investment, emerging countries, risk management

The Asian and European banking systems : the case of Spain in the quest for development and stability

Tras una breve revision de la literatura sobre los determinantes del desarrollo financiero, el trabajo analiza las diferencias entre los sistemas financieros en Asia y Europa en terminos de su tamaño y eficiencia. Asi mismo, el trabajo compara las trayectoras seguidas por las dos regiones en la busqueda del desarrollo financiero y la estabilidad, que en algunos casos fueron similares, pero que en otros mostraron grandes diferencias. La diferencia mas apreciable entre las dos areas es el grado de integracion internacional y regional de los sistemas financieros, sustancialmente menor en Asia. Por ultimo, el trabajo analiza en detalle el caso de España como un pais con un proceso de convergencia liderado, al menos en parte, por el desarrollo del sector financiero, y extrae de este algunas experiencias utiles para los paises asiaticos. (sg) (ad

G20 debt-relief initiatives for low-income countries during the pandemic

Artículo de revistaThe serious economic impact deriving from the COVID-19 pandemic on already ailing low-income countries has prompted the search for support instruments among the international financial community. The official debt moratorium agreed by the G20 for these countries in the spring of 2020 has brought a modest temporary relief to their public finances. However, the agreements reached among official creditors could facilitate consensus on farther-reaching initiatives for the resolution of debt problems in the international sphere. In this connection, the fact that an agreement has been reached by the G20 on a “common framework for debt treatments” is an important precedent for coordination among official creditors. This article puts the debt-relief measures agreed and the challenges associated with their application into context. Their implementation and effectiveness will depend on the degree of coordination achieved in practice by creditor countries

IMF precautionary facilities and their use in Latin America

Entre 2009 y 2010, el Fondo Monetario Internacional creó, en respuesta a la crisis financiera global, una serie de líneas de préstamo destinadas a la prevención y al aseguramiento frente a crisis. Estas líneas preventivas fueron dirigidas a países con fundamentos y políticas económicas sólidos, pero expuestos a riesgos de contagio financiero. La utilización de estos instrumentos —medida en número de países— fue reducida durante sus diez primeros años de existencia, y con la irrupción de la pandemia tres nuevos países de Latinoamérica solicitaron acogerse a ellos. La valoración de estas líneas sugiere que han cumplido la función de aseguramiento para la que fueron concebidas. De cara a la próxima revisión de estas líneas, y a la luz de la experiencia reciente, se analizan las posibles causas de su limitada demanda y se aportan elementos relevantes en el diseño de las «estrategias de salida», uno de los aspectos que más atención han suscitado en su utilización.Between 2009 and 2010, in response to the global financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund created a number of lending tools to pre-empt and insure against crises. These pre-emptive facilities were intended for countries with sound economic fundamentals and policies, but with exposure to financial contagion risks. The use of these instruments (in terms of number of countries) was limited during the first ten years of their existence, but with the outbreak of the pandemic three Latin American countries applied to use them. An assessment of these lines suggests they have performed the insurance function for which they were conceived. In anticipation of the forthcoming review of these credit lines, and in the light of recent experience, possible reasons for the limited demand are analysed and relevant factors are suggested for the design of “exit strategies”, the aspect of their use that has attracted most attention

Cambios normativos en la inversión institucional y su impacto en los mercados financieros

Artículo de revist

La liberalización financiera de China : perspectivas para la política económica e implicaciones globales

Artículo de revist

The International Monetary Fund and its role as a guarantor of global financial stability

Artículo de revistaGiven the growing real and financial integration of economies worldwide, there is a need for the presence of supranational mechanisms to address crisis situations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the multilateral institution at the core of the global financial safety net (GFSN). The swift development of other elements of this net since the last global financial crisis, such as the regional financing arrangements, has made the system sounder but also poses fresh challenges. The broad membership of the IMF, the volume of its resources and its accumulated global experience in crisis management make the organisation key to shoring up global monetary and financial stability. However, the IMF is subject to recurrent discussions about its governance and lending policies, including the size and composition of its resources, and the distribution of power within the organisation. The IMF is currently immersed in the Fifteenth General Review of Quotas. The backdrop to this negotiation is the risk that, in the absence of a satisfactory agreement on the size and distribution of its resources, the IMF’s financial sufficiency and its degree of representativeness among its members may be diminished in the coming years. This might significantly undermine the stabilising capacity of the GFS

El desarrollo financiero en América Latina en perspectiva

Resumen del documento de trabajo n. 0216 "Latin American Financial Development in Perspective"Artículo de revistaResumen del documento n. 0216 titulado: Latin American financial development in perspectiv

Las iniciativas de alivio de la deuda para los países de bajos ingresos impulsadas por el G-20 durante la pandemia

Artículo de revistaEl grave impacto económico que ha provocado la pandemia de COVID-19 en la ya maltrecha situación de los países de bajos ingresos ha motivado la búsqueda de instrumentos de apoyo entre la comunidad financiera internacional. La moratoria de deuda oficial acordada por el G-20 para estos países en la primavera de 2020 ha supuesto un modesto alivio temporal para sus finanzas públicas. Sin embargo, los acuerdos alcanzados entre los acreedores oficiales podrían facilitar el consenso en iniciativas de mayor calado para la resolución de problemas de deuda en el ámbito internacional. En este sentido, la consecución de un acuerdo por parte del G-20 sobre un «marco común para las reestructuraciones de deuda» constituye un precedente notable de coordinación entre los acreedores oficiales. En este artículo se contextualizan las medidas de alivio de deuda acordadas y los retos asociados a su aplicación. Ciertamente, su desarrollo y su efectividad dependerán del grado de coordinación que alcancen, en la práctica, los países acreedores