Alliances and Co-Evolution provides alliance managers, consultants and academics with a detailed analysis covering 23 years of the growth and decline of three lifecycles of alliances. This analysis links structural change in the European macro-environment with corporate alliance strategies. It differentiates between strategic alliances and infrastructure alliances with their differing strategic drivers, and proposes a Co-Evolution model to explain, monitor and manage the development of alliances over time.

The Federal Reserve System-the central bank of the United States, better known as The Fed-has never been more controversial. Criticism has reached such levels that Congressman Ron Paul, contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, published End the Fed, with blurbs from musician Arlo Guthrie and actor Vince Vaughn. And yet, amid a slow economy and partisan gridlock, the Fed has never been more important. Stephen H. Axilrod explains this influential agency-its powers, operations, how it sets policy-in The Federal Reserve, a timely addition to Oxford's acclaimed series What Everyone Needs to Know. Of the two major governmental tools for shaping the economy, Congress controls fiscal policy-taxation and spending-and the Fed makes monetary policy-influencing how much money circulates in the economy, and how quickly. Traditionally the Fed has relied on three instruments: open-market operations (buying and selling U.S. bonds), lending to banks, and setting reserve requirements on bank deposits. It also helps to regulate the financial system. Drawing on years of experience inside the Federal Reserve System, Axilrod shows how these tools actually work, and answers a series of increasingly detailed questions in the series format. He asks, for instance, if the system of regional Fed banks needs modification for today's technological landscape; if there is corruption in the Fed's governance; what happens to profits from its operations; the impact of political pressure; the extent of Congressional oversight; and just how independent it truly is. Whether discussing the Fed's balance sheet through the financial crisis of 2008 and beyond, the federal funds rate, or the international context, Axilrod displays a mastery of his subject Coming in time for the Fed's 100th anniversary in 2013, this book deftly explains an institution that every American needs to understand.

Over the past 20 years, the increased dominance in banking of the shareholder ownership model, whose main purpose is to maximize financial returns for shareholders, has proved to be a toxic combination with the financial deregulation the sector has undergone, the creation of new financial instruments and the concomitant rising levels of debt. Despite the growing role of private limited-liability banks around the world, co-operative banking still offers a compelling alternative, especially in Europe where the roots of co-operative institutions date back to the nineteenth century. This book studies the characteristics of different co-operative banking models of networks across several European countries to assess their impact on the profitability and resilience of the networks and their co-operative components. To date, empirical studies have neglected to examine the features of the networks to which co-operative banks belong. Surprisingly, there is little evidence on the extent to which the diverse organizational network structures determine differences in the profits and stability of individual banks and their networks across different countries. The principal objective of this book is to fill this gap in the literature. The European countries considered are Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. In these countries, co-operative banks constitute a significant presence although the organizational forms their networks take are quite different. Focusing on this sample of European countries therefore affords insights and reveals policy implications about the role that network organizations play in driving the performances of co-operative banks, which will be of interest to academics, researchers, and students of banking and financial institutions.

Shariah governance assumes the primary instrument through which Islamic Banking Institutions (IBIs) ensure the Islamicity of their products, services, operations, and internal environments. It is considered to be one the fundamental elements that differentiates IBIs from their traditional counterparts. This book provides a critical overview of the key aspects pertaining to Shariah governance within Islamic financial institutions and presents a detailed analysis of its conceptual background. The authors have identified the unique issues, which have emerged as a result of the integration of Shariah, namely the involvement of the Shariah supervisory board (SSB), in the corporate governance arrangements of Islamic banks. These issues relate to disclosure, transparency, independency, consistency, confidentiality, competency, and reputation. The book details the doctrines of Shariah pronouncements in Islamic banks, the importance of having a central advisory board at a regulatory level in the standardization of Islamic banking practices, as well as the competence required for Shariah supervisory board members. It provides a critical analysis of the Shariah governance framework in Pakistan and introduces the authors' vision of an ideal Shariah governance framework. Furthermore, the chapters offer guidance in promoting effective policies for improving Shariah governance. This is one of the core challenges facing Islamic banks, namely, to ensure compliance with the faith and provide legitimacy to the business of Islamic Banking Institutions and as such, the book will appeal to both the research and professional community.

"The financial crisis focused unprecedented attention on ethics in investment banking. This book develops an ethical framework to assess and manage investment banking ethics and provides a guide to high profile concerns as well as day to day ethical challenges"--

For academics, regulators and policymakers alike, it is crucial to measure financial sector competition by means of reliable, well-established methods. However, this is easier said than done. This comprehensive Handbook provides a collection of state-of-the-art chapters to address this issue. Using the latest empirical results from around the world, expert contributors offer a thorough assessment of the quality and reliability of the prevalent measures of competition in banking and finance. The Handbook consists of four parts, the first of which discusses the characteristics of various measures of financial sector competition. The second part includes several empirical studies on the level of, and trends in, competition across countries. The third part deals with the spillovers of market power to other sectors and the economy as a whole. Finally, the fourth part considers competition in banking submarkets and subsectors. This Handbook is an essential resource for students and researchers interested in competition, regulation, banking and finance. Politicians, policymakers and regulators will also benefit from the thorough explanation of the need for anti-trust regulation and identification of the most reliable competition measures. Contributors include: A.N. Berger, J.A. Bikker, W. Bolt, J. Bos, Y.L. Chan, P. Coccorese, M.D. Delis, J. Fernandez de Guevara, Z. Fungacova, R. Gropp, I. Hasan, J.P. Hughes, D. Humphrey, L.F. Klapper, S. Kleimeier, C. Kok, S. Kokas, J.W. Kolari, M. Lamers, L. Liu, J. Maudos, L.J. Mester, C.-G. Moon, N. Mylonidis, S. Ongena, B. Overvest, V. Purice, R.J. Rosen, H. Sander, S. Shaffer, L. Spierdijk, D. Titotto, R. Turk-Ariss, G.F. Udell, L. Weill, J. Yuan, M. Zaouras

This is a comprehensive state-of-the-art survey which analyzes institutions, policies and issues of central banking in developing countries including interest-free Islamic and transition economies. It discusses objectives and functions; monetary, exchange, supervisory and developmental roles; financial liberalization; informal finance; causes and implications of central bank losses. It critically evaluates currency boards, central bank independence, ceilings on government credit and suggests radical organizational reforms, divestiture of quasi-fiscal activities and partial privatization of central banks.

In this sure-to-be-controversial history of money and banking, Hixson examines the historical and resulting present-day deficiencies of the U.S. monetary and banking system. His study reveals that in a whole series of historical cases over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries faulty economic principles were applied to the developing system. His bold conclusions include suggestions that: commercial banks should be required to maintain 100 percent reserves on all demand-deposit accounts and thus be denied the present privilege of creating credit-money; and the federal government should be the sole creator of money in the economy. As in his previous book, Hixson challenges generally accepted historical and economic wisdom, making this a significant contribution to the literature.

This Pivot proposes an integrated approach to facilitate competency development in a more comprehensive way. It examines this approach in the important but seldom studied context of risk management in banks. Risk management weaknesses in banks have persisted in spite of regulatory changes. This Pivot takes inspiration from three unlikely sports heroes to create the proposed integrated approach to risk management competency development, bringing together three competency development concepts hitherto studied in isolation that are more comprehensive and more effective when combined. The author studies the integrated approach under three specific objectives. The concepts are first operationalized into 23 actionable indicators through literature reviews and experts' reaffirmation. Then, the t-test and discriminant analysis are used to identify how banks across different demographic groups place different emphases on these indicators. Lastly, these indicators are summarized into key themes via factor analysis.

The U.S. banking system differs from many countries both in the range of services supplied and the complexity of operations. Meanwhile, the U.S. financial markets have become the attraction of worldwide investors. This book explains the three key aspects of the industry: the laws governing the banking institutions, the regulations thereof, and their economics and financial statements in a manner not covered by any competitive publications, of interest to both professionals and scholars who want to better grasp this industry. Auditing a bank and/or liquidating a bank require a set of rules not always well understood. The book provides such an overview.

This book addresses the causes and consequences of the international financial crisis of 2008. A range of esteemed contributors explore developments in the United States, where the crisis of 2008 originated, as well as the smallest country affected, Iceland, by evaluating developments since 2008. Currently, many countries are facing similar problems as Iceland did in 2008: this book is of interest to economists and policy makers in these countries to study what happened in Iceland, and why the recovery of that economy was strong and swift. The chapters in this book originate from panel discussions and conferences and explore areas including regulation, state projects and inflation.

The aim of this book is twofold: Firstly to focus on the development of new instruments and topics in the financial industry. Secondly to analyze the development of "old" themes applied to different international contexts, such as cross-border banking and the role of government financial resources in China. With these goals in mind, the book explores the investigation of new instruments for the financing of SMEs and new ventures, such as mini bonds and equity crowdfunding. Additionally, it covers the field of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility including financial inclusion, gender roles, disclosure, social media roles and litigation. The book also investigates the choices followed by the Royal Swedish Academy in the selection of Nobel laureates in economics science to analyze their influence on the financial industry. Geared to banking academics, researchers and students, this book uncovers the most prominent issues within the banking industry today.

With the start of EMU, the Eurosystem has taken over monetary policy for the 11 countries of the Euro area. But the division of powers within the Eurosystem, between the European Central Bank and the constituent National Central Banks, is not satisfactory. This volume provides an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Eurosystem and offers concrete proposals concerning the decision making organs, balance sheets and the distribution of seigniorage.

This book offers the first original study on banking crises management in Italy from 2014 to 2020 with a comprehensive overview of the resolution tools used. In Italy, the issue of banking crises is now the focus of attention, not only as a result of the cycle of crises that occurred in the years 2014-2020 but also because of the banking reform carried out in Europe with the directives on bank recovery and resolution and the implementation of the Single Resolution Mechanism and the Single Resolution Fund within the framework of the Banking Union. The Italian banking crises have been managed by applying the new European regulatory framework; in this sense they constitute a significant test to assess its effectiveness and coherence. This book, divided into two parts, makes an initial assessment of the crisis situations and the application of the new rules, and offers an initial evaluation of their functioning. In the first part, an in-depth examination is made of the various cases of crisis, following a methodology of classification by type of solution and instruments adopted. The second part is dedicated to lessons learned and open issues. In detail, the most sensitive issues of the current debate are addressed, relating to the improvement of the institutional set-up and the rules for crisis management, the harmonization of insolvency rules in Europe, the funding of resolution, public intervention and, finally, the role of deposit guarantee systems. An articulated and complex picture emerges with various areas for improvement and policy indications, offering a framework that will be of interest to scholars, researchers, professors, students and practitioners of banking and banking regulation.

This book reviews problems with credit use and causes of indebtedness among young adults, while uncovering possibilities to encourage a healthier attitude towards loans in this segment of the population. Both consumption loans and mortgages are covered in order to adequately represent real-world credit use by young people about to enter adulthood. It focuses on three distinctive actors: the legislative authorities, the financial institution, most commonly a bank, and finally the individual borrower. More specifically, the book discusses the functioning of these three entities in the context of young adults borrowing behaviour, and would appeal to academics, researchers and students of financial institutions and banking.

This book provides comprehensive analysis in the areas Islamic financial institutions and society. It starts off with the integration of the Islamic socio-economic and socio-political systems with the Islamic financial sector; with a view to help in removing some of the stereotype views that people have on the Islamic society and religion. In doing this, it provides the readers with an understanding of the Islamic society, characteristics of an Islamic society, and Islamic economics thoughts and theories. It goes further to make the readers to understand the sources, evolution, and guiding principles and practices of the Islamic finance and commercial jurisprudence. Although the book acknowledges the innovative no-interest financing framework; but in the absence of zero cost of lending, it develops an Islamic interest rate theoretical framework structure based on the profit-margin concept of the Islamic financial system. It goes on further to cover the structures, roles, functions, and monetary policies of the Islamic central banks in the absence of interest rate as well as proposes that organizational structures for the Islamic central banking system should include an Islamic finance division to oversee and monitor the Islamic financial institutions squarely. Flow charts are used to explain the structure, operations, models, products, instruments, and services of the Islamic commercial banks, financial institutions, insurance, and capital markets. This helps the readers to understand the dichotomies between the Islamic and conventional financial systems. It provides detailed systematic, logical steps, and processes involved in the Islamic financial transactions with the use of flow chart graphs which will help the readers in grasping the essentials of the Islamic financial sector; which will help the readers to understand the step-by-step processes and facilitate the conceptual clarities involved in the product deliveries and processes of the Islamic financial institutions. The book's concluding chapters were devoted to the performance, achievements, governance, challenges, and future expectations of the Islamic banking, finance, and capital markets. The book concludes with some suggestions on how to make the Islamic finance and its products more acceptable to the entire world; especially to the non-Muslim community of the world.

This volume presents current developments in the fields of banking and finance from an international perspective. Featuring contributions from the 4th International Conference on Banking and Finance Perspectives (ICBFP), this volume serves as a valuable forum for discussing current issues and trends in the banking and financial sectors, especially in light of the global economic challenges triggered by financial institutions. Using the latest theoretical models, new perspectives are brought to topics such as international banking and finance, Islamic banking, fintech, and corporate finance. Offering an opportunity to explore the challenges of a rapidly changing industry, this volume will be of interest to academics, policy makers, and scholars in the fields of banking, insurance, and finance.

Islamic finance has emerged to meet the financial needs of people who seek a different approach to conventional banking and finance. Due to its late inception, Islamic finance has often been regarded as an "infant industry" compared to its traditional counterparts. Even though the Islamic finance industry is still classified as nascent, it has shown rapid growth in the last decade or so. The primary objective of this book is to highlight the main issues and challenges the Islamic finance industry faces and to offer practical solutions. Firstly, the book classifies the main components of Islamic finance such as money and banking, capital markets, fintech, microfinance, insurance as well as morality and governance. Secondly, all of the chapters are combined according to their relationship and link with each other so as to provide readers with a unique and holistic overview of the subject. The chapters are written by well-renowned experts in the field. As well as offering readers theoretical information about each subject under discussion, it also advances practical solutions that can contribute to the development of each field. The book answers questions such as how money is created by banks; what the business model of Islamic banking should look like; whether Islamic microfinance institutions are sustainable; what the likely framework of takaful should be; what the potential role of fintech could be in reshaping the Islamic financial system, and where and whether morality fits in the financial system. The book will attract the attention of students, researchers, practitioners, regulators and policymakers.

Walter Bagehot noticed once that "John Bull can stand many things, but he cannot stand two per cent." Well, for several years, he has had to stand interest rates well below that, in some countries even below zero. However, despite this sacrifice, the economic recovery from the Great Recession has been disappointingly weak. This book's aim is to answer this question. The central thesis of the book is that the standard understanding of the monetary transmission mechanism is flawed. That understanding adopts erroneous assumptions-such as, that low interest rates always stimulate economic growth by boosting the credit supply, investment, and consumption-and does not fully take into account several unintended channels of monetary policy, such as risk-taking, high level of debt, or zombification of the economy. In other words, the effectiveness of monetary policy is limited during economic downturns accompanied by the debt overhang and the balance sheet recession, and generates negative effects, which can make the policy counterproductive. The author provides a thorough analysis of the issues related to the interest rates in the conduct of monetary policy, such as the risk-taking channel of monetary policy, the portfolio-balance channel and the wealth effect, zombie firms in the economy, the misallocation of resources, as well as the neutral interest rate targeting and the difference between the neutral and natural interest rate and the negative interest rate policy. The book is written in an accessible and engaging manner and will be a valuable resource for scholars of monetary economics as well as readers interested in (unconventional) monetary policy.

From Crisis to Crisis examines the impact of the harsh conditions of the interwar economy on the British merchant banks. The financial crises of 1914 and 1931 are assessed using primary sources. The competitive threats, including the rise of New York as a rival financial centre, are considered. It challenges alleged special treatment and provides fresh perspectives on the interwar rationalisation of industry. During the late nineteenth century, Britain's merchant banks had become pre-eminent in a world of fixed exchange rates, free trade and the unfettered mobility of international capital. This world was increasingly challenged in the interwar period, being replaced by floating exchange rates, trade protectionism and restrictions on capital movements. This book fills a gap in the historiography of British banking by recovering the histories of long-forgotten merchant banks rather than focusing on the better-known firms. Using a wide range of archival resources, it traces the strategic transformation by some merchant banks from higher-risk, capital intensive activities to lower-risk, advisory services. Brian O'Sullivan has been jointly awarded the 2019 BAC Wadsworth Prize for From Crisis to Crisis: The Transformation of Merchant Banking 1914-1939. It was judged by the Business Archives Council (BAC) to have made an outstanding contribution to the study of British business history. Brian shared the prize with Professor Priya Satia of Stanford University in California.

Bank foundations serve an important purpose in the Italian nonprofit sector. This book presents the legal grounds, areas of intervention, and basic tools involved in the asset management and grant-making activities that such organizations undertake. A special emphasis focuses on the analyses of the organizational structure of bank foundations and the relevant aspects of governance, particularly with regard to the composition, roles, and responsibilities of bank foundation boards. The general reduction in the resources to which they have access requires a new strategy that clearly defines long-term goals and the necessary procedures to achieve them. The topic of strategic planning is therefore also central to this text, which examines its peculiarities, content and governing bodies. The analysis of some case studies provides a better understanding of the manner in which foundations interpret strategic planning and reveals strengths and weaknesses that demand careful attention.

This fourth edition of Retail Banking is a comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the principles of banking. Aimed at bank staff and students the text is packed with international examples and case studies and covers all aspects of banking in the modern financial services industry. It clearly explains the regulatory, social, technological and practical environment in which retail banks operate. Topics covered include: banking risks and regulationpayment methods, fund transfers, collecting and paying banksprinciples of the banker-customer relationshipthe balance between liquidity and profitabilityprinciples of lending and key credit risk tools. The text is complemented by online support material and a tutor resource containing dozens of practice tasks for students.

Are recent bank and financial scandals the work of a few `bad apples' or an inevitable result of a financial system rotten to its core? In Barometer of Fear Alexis Stenfors guides us through the shadowy world of modern banking, providing an insider's account of the secret practices - including the manipulation of foreign exchange rates - which have allowed banks to profit from systematic deception. Containing remarkable and often shocking insights derived from his own experiences in the dealing room, as well as his spectacular fall from grace at Merrill Lynch, Barometer of Fear draws back the curtain on a realm that for too long has remained hidden from public view.

This book shows that a special bank bankruptcy regime is desirable for the efficient restructuring and/or liquidation of distressed banks. It explores in detail both the principal features of corporate bankruptcy law and the specific characteristics of banks including the importance of public confidence, negative externalities of bank failures, fragmented regulatory framework, bank opaqueness, and the related asset-substitution problem and liquidity provision. These features distinguish banks from other corporations and are largely neglected in corporate bankruptcy law. The authors, an assistant professor for money and finance and a research economist at the Dutch Central Bank, propose changes in both prudential regulation and reorganization policies that should allow regulators and banking authorities to better mitigate disruptions in the financial system and minimize the social costs of bank failures. Their recommendations are complemented by a discussion of bank failures from the 2007-2009 financial crisis.