This far-reaching study shows that operating efficiencies are not what are driving today's unrelenting bank merger mania. It suggests that bank mergers and consolidation may have effects that are contrary to consumer and non-financial business interests, such as lower rates of interest, increasing fees, and tighter credit constraints. Dymski recommends several new policies to apply to the evaluation of prospective mergers.

Following up on his 1995 study of the initial transition period in formerly communist economies, Adam Zwass carries the analysis into the second phase of reform. He devotes focused attention to the pivotal role of privatization strategies, contrasting the outcomes of the voucher plans with outright sale of state assets (including to foreign investors). Taking advantage of his incomparable experience as a financial expert first in the CMEA and later with the Austrian National Bank, Zwass considers the record of newly emerging banking and financial systems and the challenges of entry into the regional and global financial and trading systems.

Does Financial Deregulation Work? studies the process of financial deregulation in the United States. It exposes the basic flaws in the deregulationist approach and advances a new framework for effective financial regulation. Bruce Coggins provides a detailed and comprehensive critique of the reasoning behind deregulation, including marginal analysis and Friedman's monetarism. He challenges this thinking and proposes an alternative set of assumptions drawn from the historical and institutional approach to industrial organization and post Keynesian monetary theory. The author concludes that stability in financial systems is dependent upon a regulatory regime which focuses on limiting competition and encouraging productive over speculative investment. This book will prove invaluable to financial economists and analysts interested in the controversy over bank deregulation. It will also be of interest to those using post Keynesian, institutionalist and industrial organization approaches to economic analysis as well as to students and professors of law and regulation and those interested in problems of financial instability.

Series Information:
Routledge International Studies in Money and Banking

This book, first published in 1949, is the original and key survey of the stages which preceded the use of coins as the medium of exchange, and of the objects that coins displaced, objects which for want of a better name are here called primitive money. It examines in detail the primitive monies of the world, monies from far in the distant past, and monies still in use today. It is the essential reference source on the many different objects used as currency.

This far-reaching study shows that operating efficiencies are not what are driving today's unrelenting bank merger mania. It suggests that bank mergers and consolidation may have effects that are contrary to consumer and non-financial business interests, such as lower rates of interest, increasing fees, and tighter credit constraints. Dymski recommends several new policies to apply to the evaluation of prospective mergers.

This book traces the development of China's banking system through the first 25 years of China's socialist market economy up to the present. It examines how China's leaders have chosen their own path for reforming and regulating the banking sector and shows how this approach has differed significantly from the neoliberal approach promoted by the West. The book demonstrates the effectiveness of the Chinese approach, contrasting China's relative success in weathering the Asian financial crisis with the huge disruption experienced by other East and Southeast Asian nations which had followed the neoliberal model much more closely. The book explains how China's officials were able to resist the persistent efforts of foreign financial institutions to gain control of China's financial sector, particularly around the time of China's entry to the World Trade Organization. It argues that China's increasing influence in international financial institutions after the global financial crisis can help mitigate the risk of future financial crises and promote global financial stability.

Globalization is not an external force but a result of concrete business decisions made by millions of entrepreneurs and managers across the world. As such, the modern corporation has completely altered the economic landscape; business and finance have shaped the international order of the modern world. History of Financial Institutions contributes to the analysis of how the modern corporation, business and finance have shaped and keep on shaping our world. In a collection of nine succinct essays, this volume looks at the role of finance in European history from the beginning of the 19th century to the period after the Second World War. Archivists and financial historians, who are also leading scholars of banking and financial history, investigate the ways in which the international post-war order developed. They draw on often hitherto unused archival sources from central banks and other institutions to reveal the unique histories of a variety of European countries and the paths that have led to the contemporary economic and financial system. The collection includes reflections on (monetary) stabilization, inflation, hyperinflation, globalization and public relations in banking and commerce. This book is essential reading for banking and finance executives, as well as policy makers with a historical interest. It will also be of importance to academics with a particular interest in economic history, financial or banking history, and European history.

Sweeping changes have taken place in the financial sector during the twentieth century. Two of the most notable changes have been the growth of global markets and institutions, and the introduction of computerisation. This volume charts the course of concentration and internationalisation in banking and also examines the influence and implications of new technologies on the industry's record-keeping practices. The exploration of concentration and internationalisation begins in the late nineteenth century and examines the effect of a wide range of factors, from macro-economic influences such as the liquidity crisis of the 1930s and the oil price rises of the 1970s, to the role of national regulation in the creation of financial markets and innovative products. The role of individual banks and their particular policies is also brought into focus. Some of Europe's most eminent bankers provide a contemporary dimension by discussing possible future developments in continental banking.

Jacques Le Goff sets out in this book to explain the role of money, or rather of the various types of money, in the economy, life and mentalities of the Middle Ages. He seeks also to explain how, in a society dominated by religion, the Church viewed money, and how it taught Christians what attitudes they should adopt towards it and towards the uses to which it could be put. He shows that, although money played an important role in the rise of towns and trade and in state formation, there was no capitalism but only a pre-capitalism in the Middle Ages, even by their end, in the absence of a truly global market. This is why economic development remained slow and limited, in spite of some remarkable success stories. It was a period in which it was as important to give money as it was to earn it. True wealth was not yet the wealth of this world, even though money played an increasingly large role in reality and in mentalities. No similar discussion of this subject, aimed at a wide readership, has previously been published. Written by one of the greatest medievalists, this book will be recognized as a standard work on the topic.

"Managing the New Bank Technology" is a practical action-oriented guide for bank CEOs, executives, business students, and boards. The book is aimed at educating those involved in banking on the key technological issues facing the industry. "Quick reference" guides opening each chapter are a special feature of the book, blueprints that offer bottom line summary suggestions for bank officers and executives. Topics include: Banking as Retailing; The Internet and Financial Services; Strategies for Future Payment Systems; Risk Management Technology; Protecting Technology Investments in an Age of Rapid Change; Negotiating Outsourcing Contracts; Developing an Information System Plan; Organizational Strategies to Manage Technology; Battling Fraud and Security Issues; and Selling Your Bank's Technology Vision.

This book, first published in 1941, is a comprehensive study on the native banks that linked small Chinese traders and the larger Chinese and foreign banks. It is based on extensive research in Tientsin and Peking, and a large number of interviews with native bankers, and the result is an exhaustive study on the practice.

The 2008 financial crisis has become one of the defining features of the twenty first century's first decade. The series of events which unfolded in the aftermath of the crisis has exposed major structural flaws in many of the financial systems around the globe, triggering a global call for legal and regulatory reforms to address the problems that have been uncovered. This book deals with a neglected angle of the 2008 financial crisis looking in-depth at the implicit effects of the 2008 crisis on the UK financial market. The book considers new trends in finance which have emerged since the crisis as well as the challenges faced by some older practices in the UK financial markets. After providing a reflective account of the history of law and creditors in the UK the book investigates the proliferation of certain forms of financing that have recently become very visible parts of the UK financial market's structure, such as high cost short term lending and peer to peer lending. It provides legal and economic accounts of these forms of alternative lending, charting their developments, current status and critically assesses their impact on the UK financial market. Also examined are the ongoing funding difficulties faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the suitability of the UK current legal framework to support these institutions. The book goes on to look at the viability and safety of some other post crisis trends such as banks use of Contingent Convertible Bonds (CoCos) to improve their resilience.

This collection of essays, written by former bankers, practising central bankers, government advisers and historians, celebrates the seventieth anniversary of the National Bank of Hungary. From a range of view points, the contributions consider the monetary and financial history of the past century and, in particular, explore possible parallelisms between experiences of the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1918 and of contemporary changes since 1989. The first part, comprising four essays, concentrates upon central banking, especially the development of the National Bank of Hungary since 1878 and the establishment of the Bank of Poland. Commercial banking is the theme of Part II, where continuities and discontinuities are considered with respect to Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Slovenia and Yugoslavia.

First published in 1921, this book is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of economics to beginners, with only the more intricate and controversial subjects - such as economic rent - being omitted for the sake of clarity. The subject is dealt with as concretely as possible with extensive descriptions and examples provided to further elucidate the subject while avoiding unnecessary technicalities. The arrangement of the material is based on the author's experience of teaching economics and postpones the more difficult elements to the end of the book in order to provide a more thorough grounding in the essentials before introducing them to the reader.

Financial institutions are facing unprecedented challenges brought on by the coronavirus Pandemic, less than a decade after recovering from the Global Financial Crisis and the Eurozone debt crisis. The causes of these challenges differ greatly from the previous crises that financial institutions, to a large extent, had contributed to. The current challenges were exogenous and unpredictable, and their consequences will reshape the financial system architecture around the world. Fintech, once dismissed as no more than a novel approach to servicing the segment of the population often overlooked by established financial intermediaries, is now challenging the traditional models of commercial and investment banking. The inevitable future introduction of digital currencies that could replace national currencies in many business transactions has the potential to fundamentally change the business models of financial institutions and how the financial system functions. Volume 22, Fintech, Pandemic, and the Financial System, examines systemic challenges faced by a wide range of financial market participants and the continued disruptions introduced by financial innovations (Fintech). International Finance Review publishes theme-oriented volumes on various issues in international finance, such as international business finance, international investment and capital markets, global risk management, international corporate governance and institution, currency markets, emerging market finance, international economic integration, and related issues.

The Chartered Mercantile Bank is one of the constituent banks of the huge Hongkong and Shanghai bank. This study charts its first 40 years as one of the pioneering banks of the Far East. The Chartered Mercantile became the leading exchange bank in India and South East Asia whilst always retaining its head office in the pivotal London market. Based upon meticulous research using a particularly rich set of banking archives, the book describes the complex political and financial circumstances on the subcontinent during the bank's early years and introduces the personalities in the Indian business and London banking worlds who guided the infant institution. The volatility of local markets is analysed, with portraits of the banks and merchant houses which did not survive the many financial crises in the East also included. This book will do much to remedy the lack of existing research into international finance, and Eastern banking in particular, in the 19th century. It provides an inside view of the workings of an Eastern bank - the nature of its business, methods of payment and exchange, recruitment and career patterns of staff, and includes valuable new material on the role of European bankers in an eastern setting.

Can the 'invisible hand' handle money? George Selgin challenges the view that government regulation creates monetary order and stability, and instead shows it to be the main source of monetary crisis.
The volume is divided into three sections:
* Part I refutes conventional wisdom holding that any monetary system lacking government regulation is 'inherently unstable', and looks at the workings of market forces in an otherwise unregulated banking system.
* Part II draws on both theory and historical experience to show how various kinds of government interference undermine the inherent efficiency, safety, and stability of a free monetary system.
* Part III completes the argument by addressing the popular misconception that a monetary system is unsound unless it delivers a stable output price-level.

This book examines the current state of central banking in 44 developing countries. The authors analyse the banks' achievement in their primary objective of price stability and discuss the reasons behind the general lack of success. The book covers:
* government financing
* foreign exchange systems
* domestic banking systems.
Rich in data, the book contains original financial information from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The lay-out is user-friendly and generously illustrated with tables, figures, boxed material and useful appendices. The book is published in association with the Bank of England and presents the definitive account of the role of central banks in developing countries.

The idea of free (or laissez-faire) banking has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in recent years. It is a novel idea that challenges much of what many banking scholars still take for granted - that banking is inherently unstable, that the banking system needs a lender of last resort or deposit insurance to defend it in a crisis, and that the government has to protect the value of the currency. Against this free banking sets an argument which is in essence very simple: if markets are generally better at allocating resources than governments, then what is different about money and the industry that provides it and why? Laissez-Faire Banking is divided into three interelated sections, dealing with the theory of free banking, historical experiences of it and present-day monetary and banking reforms based on free banking principles.

This second edition of an already widely-used textbook presents an up-to-date analysis of the roles played by financial institutions and markets in the working of the UK economy. For the second edition Professor Bain has updated all empirical material as well as addressing the internationalization of capital markets and monetary policy and the increasing competition between banks in the light of technological advances.

The introduction provides an overview of the system, and the following sections deal with the theory of the financial system - including the factors governing interest rates in Britain - the saving, investment and financial behavior of the main sectors of the economy, the modes of operation of the financial institutions and markets, and the regulatory system. The final chapter examines the efficiency with which the system fulfils its functions in the economy, reaching a mixed verdict.

The book assumes only a basic grounding in economics and will be widely recommended to students of macroeconomics, monetary economics and finance. This second edition of an already widely-used textbook presents an up-to-date analysis of the roles played by financial institutions and markets in the working of the UK economy. For the second edition Professor Bain has updated all empirical material as well as addressing the internationalization of capital markets and monetary policy and the increasing competition between banks in the light of technological advances.

In recent years the economic policies of major financial institutions such as the European Union Central Bank, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the International Monetary Fund have received growing media attention, reflecting increased public awareness of the impact of these institutions on the global economy and, more immediately, on the material conditions of our everyday lives. Writing the Economy: Activity, Genre and Technology in the World of Banking takes readers into one such site, the Bank of Canada, that country's central bank and monetary-policy authority. Drawing on qualitative data gathered over two decades (1984-2004) and employing theories of activity, genre, narrative, and situated learning, the book provides an ethnographic account of the role of technology-mediated discourse in the Bank's knowledge-building, policy-making, and public communication. The first part of the book describes how the Bank's economists employ a set of written and oral discourse genres in combination with computer-run economic models to create specialized knowledge about the Canadian economy that is applied by the organization's senior decision-makers in directing national monetary policy. The book then examines the economists' use of another set of technology-mediated discourse genres to orchestrate the Bank's external communications with government, the media, the business sector, financial markets, labour, and academia. The book also explores the way in which the economists' discourse practices facilitate individual and organizational learning. In a foreword, Charles Bazerman describes the book's contribution to our understanding of organizational discourse and knowledge-making, situating this contribution in the study of economic rhetoric and the social formation of economy.

"Private Banking in Europe" provides new insights into the private banking industry, its growth and future, and emerging opportunities for private bankers and their clients. Lynn Bicker debates the importance of global and local service; the potential dichotomy between the wealthy and the successful, and considers the private banking industry. A comparison of key players and their chosen markets and strategies is complemented by an exploration of the growth of intermediaries and unexpected competitiors. The work also includes a study of non-European influences. The final chapter is devoted to private bankers' own view of their industry, their competition and future directions.

This book examines the current state of central banking in 44 developing countries. The authors analyse the banks' achievement in their primary objective of price stability and discuss the reasons behind the general lack of success. The book covers:
* government financing
* foreign exchange systems
* domestic banking systems.
Rich in data, the book contains original financial information from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The lay-out is user-friendly and generously illustrated with tables, figures, boxed material and useful appendices. The book is published in association with the Bank of England and presents the definitive account of the role of central banks in developing countries.

For two decades thinking on economic policy has been dominated by the idea of economic liberalization in general and financial deregulation in particular. This field has become both extensive and controversial, yet there is no single book which treats financial deregulation in a complete and coherent manner.
This book rectifies the shortfall by focusing specifically on the consequences of interest rate deregulation for the real sectors of the economy. Using both analytical and simulation models the behaviour of consumers, firms, banks, informal credit markets and governments is examined with a view to providing guidance on a number of controversial issues.