The internationalization of financial services in Asia

The internationalization of financial services -- eliminating discrimination between the treatment of foreign and domestic providers of financial services and removing barriers to the cross-border provision of financial services -- is of global interest, especially in Asia. Most of Asia limits the entry of foreign financial firms much more than otherwise comparable countries do. Empirical evidence for Asia and elsewhere suggests that this slows down institutional development and that, as a result, it costs more to provide financial services. Asian countries could benefit from accelerating the opening of the financial services sector, in conjunction with the further liberalization of capital accounts and domestic deregulation of financial markets. Apart from other benefits, internationalization helps build more robust, efficient financial systems by introducing international practices and standards; by improving the quality, efficiency, and breadth of financial services; and by allowing more stable sources of funds. The ongoing WTO (World Trade Organization) negotiation of financial services under GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) gives countries the opportunity to commit to opening their financial sectors. Safeguards can be built into the process, and the liberalization can be phased in gradually.Banks&Banking Reform,Decentralization,Fiscal&Monetary Policy,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Financial Economics,National Governance,Economic Theory&Research,Health Economics&Finance

Electronic security - risk mitigation in financial transactions : public policy issues

This paper builds on a previous series of papers (see Claessens, Glaessner, and Klingebiel, 2001, 2002) that identified electronic security as a key component to the delivery of electronic finance benefits. This paper and its technical annexes (available separately at http://www1.worldbank.org/finance/) identify and discuss seven key pillars necessary to fostering a secure electronic environment. Hence, it is intended for those formulating broad policies in the area of electronic security and those working with financial services providers (for example, executives and management). The detailed annexes of this paper are especially relevant for chief information and security officers responsible for establishing layered security. First, this paper provides definitions of electronic finance and electronic security and explains why these issues deserve attention. Next, it presents a picture of the burgeoning global electronic security industry. Then it develops a risk-management framework for understanding the risks and tradeoffs inherent in the electronic security infrastructure. It also provides examples of tradeoffs that may arise with respect to technological innovation, privacy, quality of service, and security in designing an electronic security policy framework. Finally, it outlines issues in seven interrelated areas that often need attention in building an adequate electronic security infrastructure. These are: 1) The legal framework and enforcement. 2) Electronic security of payment systems. 3) Supervision and prevention challenges. 4) The role of private insurance as an essential monitoring mechanism. 5) Certification, standards, and the role of the public and private sectors. 6) Improving the accuracy of information on electronic security incidents and creating better arrangements for sharing this information. 7) Improving overall education on these issues as a key to enhancing prevention.Knowledge Economy,Labor Policies,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Banks&Banking Reform,Education for the Knowledge Economy,Knowledge Economy,Banks&Banking Reform,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Governance Indicators

Reena Aggarwal

The paper analyzes investment preferences of institutional investors in private firms just prior to going public. A unique dataset of 152 Indian initial public offerings during the period 19992001 is used to specifically study investment patterns of foreign and domestic institutions. We find institutional investors to have equity stakes in almost half the firms in our sample just prior to going public. Domestic institutions invest in a larger number of firms than foreign institutions. Both domestic and foreign institutions take large equity positions in the firms that they invest in. There is a positive relationship between institutional investment and size of the firm and the presence of venture capital funding. Foreign and domestic institutions invest less in firms that have insider blockholders. The results also suggest that foreign and domestic institutions have different investment preferences with domestic institutions paying more attention to firm-specific factors such as leverage and return on equity. Consistent with previous literature no significant relationship is found between investment by institutions and underpricing