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.

By mid-nineteenth century, Meyer Amschel Rothschild's five sons controlled one of the most massive fortunes in Europe. The Rothschild name had become synonymous with the enormous political and social power that often accompanied that wealth, the amassing of which is remarkable considering the painfully modest beginnings of its founder.

Born in the unimaginable squalor of Frankfurt's Jewish ghetto (where he chose to spend his entire life), Meyer Rothschild established a small trading and banking business that - despite political, legal, and social constrictions segregating Jews from the outside world -evolved into an empire that included the financial centers of the world.

"Founder" is the story of Meyer Rothschild's times, of the condition of the Jews, of the city-states before they were overrun by Napoleon's troops. It is about the threshold of the modern era, when the world of aristocrats and gentlemen was profoundly influenced by a shrewd, dedicated, loyal father and his family. Amos Elon's rich and evocative depiction of life in mid-eighteenth-century Europe provides a vivid background against which we come to understand and marvel at the strength and perseverance driving this obviously extraordinary, humble man.

'Elon... has written a terrifically readable biography that does more than illuminate the formerly shadowy figure who served princes in what is now Germany. Through the prism of Mayer Rothschild's life, Mr. Elon gives us a fascinating glimpse into how Europe - and by implication, the New World - made the journey from mercantilism to modern entrepreneurship....Mr. Elon's feat is in chronicling all this with clarity and drama. "Founder" skillfully weaves history into this story of human endeavour to create a memorable narrative of Mayer Rothschild's time.'

Deborah Stead, "New York Times Book Review"

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.

Market life is increasingly conducted in the shadow of global events like 9/11, the Sub-Prime crisis and Brexit. Within International political economy (IPE) two broad positions can be discerned: either the event is 'just an event', a superficial spectacle in an otherwise straightforward story of power and hierarchy; or the event is large enough to be considered a 'crisis'. While sympathetic to such arguments, this book develops a more performative politics of the global event, arguing that the very idea of the event must be placed in question. How is the event constructed? How are market subjects performed in relation to the event? This book argues that emotional and psychological discourses of 'trauma' and 'resilience' provide an important affective register for understanding how the global event is 'known', how it is governed, and how the affective dimensions of market life might be lived. By identifying the contingent rise of these discourses, the author de-stabilises and re-politicises the apparent existential veracity of the global event. The critical possibilities and limits of the affective turn in market life can then be rendered according to classic questions of IPE: who wins, who loses, and how might it be changed? An important work for advanced scholars and students of international political economy, 'everyday and cultural political economy', crisis and resilience, as well as broader debates on globalisation.

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.

With Big Tech's breakthrough into finance with blockchain, it is imperative that finance players understand the ramifications and how they can defend their competitive advantage. Big Tech in Finance provides a cutting edge look at Big Tech's play for domination of the crypto economy, its ramifications and how finance is fighting back. The book analyses the motives behind Big Tech's break into banking and unpicks the strategies behind the use of blockchain, technology interfaces, infrastructure and investments into blockchain unicorns. The book then goes onto review how organizations in finance are countering these threats, with governments and banks driving their own strategies and use of centralized blockchains. Delving into the fight between Big Tech, Big Banking, start-ups, and regulators, Big Tech in Finance analyzes which actors have the best shot at succeeding. It explores the key tools in play, such as smart contracts, digital central bank currencies, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and the metaverse. The book also divulges the geopolitical dimensions underpinning the power struggle and its implications for the industry. Written by an internationally recognized expert on blockchain, the book draws on in-depth interviews with founders, investors, regulators, bankers and blockchain experts to provide valuable insider insights. This will be an essential read for finance and fintech professionals, bankers and investors and anyone else interested in the developments of fintech.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Business Book Awards 2022 - Specialist Business Book Crypto is big news. You may be an existing user yourself or have friends that laud its promise of getting rich fast. Arm yourself with the knowledge to come out on top in the crypto wars. If thousands of people can lose billions of dollars in OneCoin, masterminded by the now infamous Missing Cryptoqueen made famous by the BBC's podcast series and called 'one of the biggest scams in history' by The Times, what makes you think your money is safe? OneCoin isn't alone. Crypto Wars reveals how some of the most shocking scams affected millions of innocent people all around the world with everything from religious leaders to celebrities involved. In this book, you get exclusive access to the back story of the most extreme Ponzi schemes, the most bizarre hoaxes and brutal exit strategies from some of the biggest charlatans of crypto. Crypto expert and educator, Erica Stanford, will show you how market-wide manipulation schemes, unregulated processes and a new collection of technologies that are often misunderstood, have been exploited to create the wild west of crypto, run by some less than reputable characters. From OneCoin to PonziCoin to Trumpcoin and everything in between, Crypto Wars uncovers the scandals, unpicks the system behind them and allows you to better understand a new technology that has the potential to revolutionize banking and our world for the better.

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.

After barely half a century of experience, Islamic banking has become established as a new niche industry across the world, offering new and sophisticated financial products designed to be compliant with Islamic legal principles and common law. This comprehensive book explores the theory, principles and practices underpinning this rapidly expanding sector of banking. Expert contributors - including eminent scholars and senior practitioners in the field - examine the roots of the principles of ethical Islamic financial transactions, which have evolved over several millennia, on issues including usury, interest rates, and financial contracting for funding enterprises, mortgages, leasing and other transactions. Regulatory and governance issues are discussed, and the practice and operation of Islamic financial institutions are explained via three distinct case studies. Importantly, the final chapter looks at what steps are being taken to provide professional accreditation to Islamic banking professional personnel, and prescribes requirements for training in this growing industry. This rich and wide-ranging guide to the foundations and fundamental principles of this new form of ethics-based financial practice will prove a fascinating and illuminating read for regulators, practitioners, and scholars in the fields of economics, finance, money and banking. Contributors: I. Abraham, S.O. Alhabshi, S.H. Aljunid, M. Ariff, M.K. Badar, I. Bhatti, M. Bhatti, E. Girard, K. Hassan, T. Hassan, M. Iqbal, M.K. Lewis, C. Mews, A. Saeed, S.H. Razak, M. Shamsher, M.T. Skully, A. Walsh, M. Zaman

Endorsed by the Chartered Banker Institute as core reading for the Personal & Private Banking and Commercial Lending modules, Relationship Management in Banking supports and develops the need to be able to manage key customer relationships. The text considers the nature of commercial relationships and help the reader synthesise complex factors in order to develop a robust relationship management methodology. It will draw from bona fide case studies and examples that can demonstrate key relationship management concepts as well as bring learning to life and share examples of customers, good and bad, from a range of different sectors. Through case studies and providing online updates to regulations, Relationship Management in Banking considers how to critically analyze approaches to relationship management used for a variety of banking customer types and examine the impact of legislation, regulation, governance and technology on banking relationship management and customer acquisition and retention. Online supporting resources include a glossary and updates to regulation.

An advanced method for financial institutions to optimize Asset Liability Management for maximized return and minimized risk Financial institutions today are facing daunting regulatory and economic challenges. As they manage bank regulation and competition, institutions are also optimizing their Asset Liability Management (ALM) operations. The function of the ALM unit today goes beyond risk management related to the banking book into managing regulatory capital and positioning the balance sheet to maximize profit. Asset Liability Management Optimization: A Practitioner's Guide to Balance Sheet Management and Remodelling offers a step-by-step process for modeling and reshaping a bank's balance sheet. Based on the author's extensive research, it describes how to apply a quantifiable optimization method to help maximize asset return and minimize funding cost in the banking book. ALM ranks as a key component of any financial institution's overall operating strategy. Now, financial professionals can use an advanced solution for optimizing ALM. This book takes a closer look at the evolving role of the ALM function and the target position of the banking book. It provides strategies for active management, structuring, and hedging of a bank balance sheet, while also exploring additional topics related to ALM. A description of the Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP) process related to a bank's target position Detailed examinations of interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB) Discussion of Basel III regulatory requirements and maturity gap analysis Overview of customer behavior, along with its impact on interest rate and liquidity risk Practical spreadsheet models (NII sensitivity and EVE volatility IRRBB model, simplified optimization model for minimization of average funding cost for a bank and an example of behavioral model for Non-Maturing Deposits) Explorations of model risk, sensitivity analysis, and case studies The optimization techniques found in Asset Liability Management Optimization can prove vital to financial professionals who are tasked with maximizing asset return and reducing funding costs as a critical part of business objectives.

This comprehensive guide serves to illuminate the rise and development of FinTech in Sweden, with the Internet as the key underlying driver. The multiple case studies examine topics such as: the adoption of online banking in Sweden; the identification and classification of different FinTech categories; process innovation developments within the traditional banking industry; and the Venture Capital (VC) landscape in Sweden, as shown through interviews with VC representatives, mainly from Sweden but also from the US and Germany, as well as offering insight into the companies that are currently operating in the FinTech arena in Sweden. The authors address questions such as: How will the regulatory landscape shape the future of FinTech companies? What are the factors that will likely drive the adoption of FinTech services in the future? What is the future role of banks in the context of FinTech and digitalization? What are the policies and government initiatives that aim to support the FinTech ecosystem in Sweden? Complex concepts and ideas are rendered in an easily digestible yet thought-provoking way. The book was initiated by the IIS (the Internet Foundation in Sweden), an independent organization promoting the positive development of the Internet in the country. It is also responsible for the Internet's Swedish top-level domain .se, including the registration of domain names, and the administration and technical maintenance of the national domain name registry. The book illustrates how Sweden acts (or does not act) as a competitive player in the global FinTech arena, and is a vital addition to students and practitioners in the field.

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.

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.

Mainstream economists explain the Federal Reserve's behavior over its one hundred years of existence as (usually failed) attempts to stabilize the economy on a non-inflationary growth path. The most important monetary event during those first one hundred years was the replacement of fixed exchange rates, based on a gold-exchange standard, with flexible exchange rates. In this book, Dickens explains how flexible exchange rates became necessary to accommodate the Federal Reserve's relentless efforts to prevent progressive social change. It is argued that the Federal Reserve is an institutionalized alliance of the large New York banks and the large regional banks. When these two groups of banks are united, they constitute an unassailable force in the class conflict. However, when the large regional banks are at loggerheads with the large New York banks over the proper role of bank clearinghouses during the populist period, along with the proper role of the Eurodollar market during the social democratic period, there is an opening for progressive social reforms. This book builds upon Hyman Minsky's financial instability hypothesis as well as the Marxian model constructed by Thomas Piketty. It follows Piketty's historical method of deepening our understanding of the current Neoliberal Era (1980-2014) of global financial capitalism by comparing and contrasting it with the first era of global financial capitalism-the Gilded Age (1880-1914). In contrast with Piketty, however, this book incorporates monetary factors, including monetary policy, into the set of determinants of the long-run rate of economic growth. This book is suitable for those who study political economy, banking as well as macroeconomics.

This book examines the changing nature of the policies adopted to promote international financial stability. Specifically, it investigates the policies that the IMF followed in response to the Mexican, Asian, and subprime crisis. The book argues that these policies can be explained by the interaction of economic ideas and historical contexts.

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 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.

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.

"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.

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.

This critique of World Bank operations examines the effects of this organization on the societies in which it operates. Highly critical of the Bank's practices in its 50 years of operation, the author demonstrates how the Bank has become virtually unaccountable and a law unto itself. He describes how the Bank has supported oppressive regimes and loaned money to support large projects which have displaced local populations. He argues further that the Bank's current policies of structural adjustment are arresting the development of Third World countries.

This book provides different financial models based on options to predict underlying asset price and design the risk hedging strategies. Authors of the book have made theoretical innovation to these models to enable the models to be applicable to real market. The book also introduces risk management and hedging strategies based on different criterions. These strategies provide practical guide for real option trading. This book studies the classical stochastic volatility and deterministic volatility models. For the former, the classical Heston model is integrated with volatility term structure. The correlation of Heston model is considered to be variable. For the latter, the local volatility model is improved from experience of financial practice. The improved local volatility surface is then used for price forecasting. VaR and CVaR are employed as standard criterions for risk management. The options trading strategies are also designed combining different types of options and they have been proven to be profitable in real market. This book is a combination of theory and practice. Users will find the applications of these financial models in real market to be effective and efficient.

More than one billion people still live below the poverty line - most of them in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Financial inclusion is a major issue, as more than three-quarters of the numbers of poor and disadvantaged women and men do not have access to financial products and services, such as bank accounts, affordable and suitable loans, and insurance. The key objective of this book is to provide practical case studies of financial inclusion, rather than focus on academic debates such as the ideological basis of promoting microfinance. Using the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals as an overall framing of the issues, it shows how poor and disadvantaged women and men can be bankable if the right facilitation for maximizing opportunities and addressing constraints are in place. Case studies confirm that achieving inclusive and sustainable access to financial products and services goes beyond simply enabling poor and disadvantaged women and men to have access to credit, or the ability to open a bank account. Examples from Africa, Asia and Latin America demonstrate encouraging progress in making microcredit accessible to millions of poor people. The foremost challenge, however, has been to ensure that they have access to, and usage intensity of, suitable and affordable financial products and services that meet the needs of their livelihoods as well as risks and mitigation strategies. This requires understanding that poor and disadvantaged women and men do not exist in isolation from complex and interdependent functions in the financial system, which includes a number of actors, diversified services, constraints (not just symptoms) and capacities and incentives. Overall, the book provides a rich source of examples of how building inclusive financial systems can empower the world's poor - by increasing income and employment opportunities, securing livelihoods and reducing poverty.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.