This open access book examines the history and role of money. Money is often defined in terms of three interrelated functions: as a medium of exchange, store of value and unit of account. Researchers frequently discuss the first two functions, but tend to ignore unit of account. This book focuses on how a unit of account or denomination can be defined and can be derived from the monetary system. In the case of paper money and coins, we know how to determine the denomination of money based on the problem of the least number of weights defined by Bachet and proved by Hardy and Wright (1960). However, in the case of digital or cryptocurrency, denomination may not matter because digital or cryptocurrency uses a wallet that is essentially denomination free: a wallet can contain any amount of currency without upper and lower limits. When people talk about the stablecoin, i.e. the stable price of digital and cryptocurrency with the major legal tender, they take a unit of account or denomination of digital or cryptocurrency as given. This arrangement destroys the nature of denomination free or decentralized autonomy as it were. Exploring how we can consolidate with these two views of denomination, this book will appeal to anyone interested in creating new digital or cryptocurrencies. It also serves as a textbook on central bank digital currency.

The authors examine various aspects of Japanese financial markets. This analysis is interspersed with the relevant institutional/historical background on Japanese financial markets necessary for the non-specialist. Principal chapters include: an institutional overview, a chapter on comparative cost of capital (both internationally and among Japanese firms); causes and implications of the high degree of financial intermediation in Japan and an invaluable analysis of the most recent trends in the Japanese/Asian financial markets.

Written by two leading experts on multinational accounting and billion-dollar international investment funds, this book provides a framework for a global reform of the world monetary system, and defines a decidedly new approach to dealing with public debt mortgage, an issue that we can see in many countries in Europe and around the world. The authors put forward a proposal for transforming sterile financial masses, which are withdrawn from the real economy as they no longer bear interest, into wealth. To facilitate this return to the real economy, the authors propose that a significant share of public debt be converted into net equities in the world of business and goods production in order to find new profitable investment projects. The idea is bold, and the authors strive to demonstrate its technical feasibility. They are convinced that this approach can accompany and enhance a movement that has already begun, namely the implementation of vast national and international investment programs in major infrastructures and research projects in innovative sectors. This work builds on the authors’ two previous books, which focus on the monetary system. The first, published in 2010 and including a foreword by former French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, analyzes the new virtual dimension of money. The second, published in 2014, puts forward an innovative proposal for a new financial regulation aimed at more stable economies. This third book is intended for professionals in the financial industry, including decision makers at banks, accounting and private equity firms, as well as policymakers at central banks and government institutions involved in the implementation of financial and monetary reforms.

This book discusses the transformation of the banking industry, particularly after a number of recent shocks: 2008 financial crisis, 2012 Euro-sovereign crisis, the pandemic COVID-19 crisis, the technological revolution, and reputational problems in banking due to climate risk and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) metrics. The book emphasizes two post-pandemic issues: the role of financial education and inclusive finance, and responsible banking and ESG priorities. Individual chapters analyse how the pandemic shed new light on social and governance responsibilities: Major issues include the importance and efficiency of financial education, and the impact of ESG programs on firms’ value, banks’ probability of default, bank business models and reputation risk. The book also addresses investors’ behaviour and the factors which may bias financial disclosure and reporting. By addressing whether the post-2008 crisis bank restructuring has effectively created a resilient and sustainable banking system – mostly from the European market’s perspective – the book will be of interest to researchers, academics, policy makers, and professionals of banking and financial institutions.

The injustices committed against millions of Europe's Jews did not end with the fall of the Third Reich. Long after the Nazis had seized the belongings of Holocaust victims, Swiss banks concealed and appropriated their assets, demanding that their survivors produce the death certificates or banking records of the depositors in order to claim their family's property--demands that were usually impossible for the petitioners to meet. Now the full account of the Holocaust deposits affair is revealed by the journalist who first broke the story in 1995. Relying on archival and contemporary sources, Itamar Levin describes the Jewish people's decades-long effort to return death camp victims' assets to their rightful heirs. Levin also uncovers the truth about the behavior of Swiss banking institutions, their complicity with the Nazis, and their formidable power over even their own neutral government.

From the first attempt to settle the fate of German property in neutral countries at the Potsdam Conference in 1945, through the heated negotiations following publication of Levin's investigative article in 1995, to the Swiss banks' ultimate agreement to a $1.25 billion payment in 1997, the pursuit of restitution is a story of delaying tactics and legal complications of almost unimaginable dimensions. Terrified that the traditional and highly marketable wall of secrecy surrounding the Swiss banks would tumble and destroy the industry, the banks' managements were dismissive and uncooperative in determining the location and extent of the assets in question, forcing the United States, other European countries, and Jewish organizations worldwide to apply tremendous pressure for a just resolution. The details and the central characters involved in this struggle, as well as new information about Switzerland's controversial policies during World War II, are fascinating reading for anyone concerned with the Holocaust and its aftermath.

The calculus of IT support for the banking, securities, and insurance industries has changed dramatically and rapidly over the past few years. Consolidation and deregulation are creating opportunities and challenges never before seen. Unheard of just a few years ago, e-commerce has given birth to new infrastructures and departments needed to support them. And the Internet/Intranet/Extranet triple-whammy is the most critical component of most financial IT shops. At the same time, new intelligent agents stand ready to take on such diverse functions as customer profiling and data mining.
Get a handle on all these new and newer ripples with Financial Services Information Systems. Here, in this exhaustive new guide and reference book, industry guru Jessica Keyes gives you the no-nonsense scoop on not just the tried and true IT tools of today, but also the up-and-coming "hot" technologies of tomorrow, and how to plan for them.
Financial Services Information Systems addresses challenges and solutions associated with:
o supporting the self-service revolution by servicing kiosks and ATMs efficiently and economically,
o straight-through processing for the securities industry,
o outsourcing business communications in the insurance industry,
o distributed integration as a cost-effective alternative to data warehousing, and
o putting inbound fax automation to work in financial organizations.

This book provides a thorough overview of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and digital assets and their impact on the future of money and finance. It provides a 360-degree practical, concise, and engaging overview of all the topics that one interested about digital assets needs to know including how Bitcoin and Ethereum work, an overview of the most important digital assets in the market, and deep dives into the various types of digital assets including cryptocurrencies, stable coins, CBDCs, utility tokens, security tokens, NFTs, and many others. The book also covers all the essentials including DeFi, crypto mining, crypto regulations, crypto investors, crypto exchanges, and other ecosystem players as well as some of the latest global crypto trends from Web 3.0 and the Metaverse to DAOs and quantum computing. Written by a leading industry expert and thought leader who advises some of the leading organisations in the digital assets space globally, this book is ideal for anyone looking to acquire a solid foundational knowledge base of this fast-growing field and understand its potential impact on the future of money.

How might one determine if a financial institution is taking risk in a balanced and productive manner? A powerful tool to address this question is economic capital, which is a model-based measure of the amount of equity that an entity must hold to satisfactorily offset its risk-generating activities. This book, with a particular focus on the credit-risk dimension, pragmatically explores real-world economic-capital methodologies and applications. It begins with the thorny practical issues surrounding the construction of an (industrial-strength) credit-risk economic-capital model, defensibly determining its parameters, and ensuring its efficient implementation. It then broadens its gaze to examine various critical applications and extensions of economic capital; these include loan pricing, the computation of loan impairments, and stress testing. Along the way, typically working from first principles, various possible modelling choices and related concepts are examined. The end result is a useful reference for students and practitioners wishing to learn more about a centrally important financial-management device.

The cooperative banks' business model is unique in the financial market. It is featured by democratic foundations (one-head-one-vote principle), proximity to the members and the community they serve, limited profit-seeking nature, and prudent management. However, these principles are applied in a variety of organisational structures and economic and regulatory contexts, making cooperative banks significantly different from one country to another. This book expands existing knowledge on the European cooperative banking sector by analysing recent trends affecting cooperative banks. Namely, the book discusses the role of cooperative banks in the policy and societal movement towards sustainability, including in adopting sustainable finance practices. It explores the digital transformation journey of cooperative banks and the impact of the consolidation of Fintech players in the financial services markets. It further showcases the need to evolve the cooperative banks' governance structures and processes in order to foster (and in some cases restore) democracy and transparency in the decision-making. Lastly, the book debates the specific role of cooperative banks in the economic crisis that has followed the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic vis-a-vis their members and the communities they serve. Of interest to scholars, professors, students, and practitioners of banking and finance, this book will build on the existing research and explore the latest trends in the space.

Participation in risk and reward, as an alternate to conventional risk-transfer finance, is important for achieving the higher ethical objectives of Islamic finance, called maqasid al shariah, and responsible finance in general. That is why participatory finance is advocated as the ideal form of financing and the essence of Islamic banking and finance. The Participatory Islamic Finance: The Ideals, Contemporary Practices, and Innovations presents a holistic view of both theory and practice of participatory models, constraints to its applications, success case studies of the participatory finance from multiple countries, and more importantly the recent innovations in participatory finance products. These new insights makes, the Participatory Islamic Finance: The Ideals, Contemporary Practices, and Innovations is an essential read and guide, for both Islamic finance academics and practitioners.

Why is finance so important? How do stock markets work and what do they really do? Most importantly, what might finance be and what could we expect from it? Exploring contemporary finance via the development of stock exchanges, markets and the links with states, Roscoe mingles historical and technical detail with humorous anecdotes and lively portraits of market participants. Deftly combining research and autobiographical vignettes, he offers a cautionary tale about the drive of financial markets towards expropriation, capture and exclusion. Positioning financial markets as central devices in the organisation of the global economy, he includes contemporary concerns over inequality, climate emergency and (de)colonialism and concludes by wondering, in the market's own angst-filled voice, what the future for finance might be, and how we might get there.

Compliance is a fundamental control function within regulated industries globally. This book provides an expert introduction to corporate compliance using cases, examples and insights from the financial services sector and beyond. The author, an experienced compliance practitioner and academic, highlights compliance challenges, using examples such as Wells Fargo, whistleblowing in the financial services and the mis-selling of payment protection insurance in the UK banking sector. The book explores strategies for creating compliant cultures and fostering regulatory trust, whilst practical guidance is provided on anticipating regulatory changes. Addressing organisational obstruction and delay, the author presents a series of valuable tools and techniques for real-world practice. An essential professional development resource for board directors, compliance officers and other senior managers, the book also provides a unique learning and development resource for students of corporate compliance globally.

The book covers alternative lending using the emergence of Debt Funds in the EU as a case study. The book explores the risks that they can pose to financial stability, and the regulatory and supervisory tools available to mitigate these risks. Through this analysis, the book uncovers the risks and potential risk mitigation tools that can be applied to the alternative lenders-including debt funds and other potential alternative lenders. After identifying the reasons behind the growth of alternative lenders (using as example the assets of Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) and in particular debt funds) and the simultaneous decrease of the banks' assets, the book analyses the systemic importance of the alternative lenders and the risk channels through which the systemic risk can spread to the banking sector and the financial system. Then, the book deals with the financial innovation-market failure theory and demonstrates that financial innovations (e.g. debt funds, securitisations) can cause market failures, resulting in regulatory interventions. Of interest to banking and financial regulation academics, researchers, and practitioners this book analyses the regulatory provisions in place for both credit institutions and debt funds, including the Basel Accords, the Capital Requirements Directives and Regulations, and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and its implementation in various EU jurisdictions, before offering a proposal for a new three-defensive framework applicable to debt funds and to other potential alternative lenders.

The monetary system is at a turning point. The question is no longer if, but how soon countries will roll out a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). This book discusses the recomposition of the money supply from the present bank money regime to a monetary system determined by CBDC. As the book sets out, the future of money is going to be digital and sovereign. Nonetheless, the relationship between the various types of money is competitive rather than being the peaceful coexistence that was officially envisaged. CBDC competes with the incumbent bank money as well as with private cryptocurrencies that are challenging both central-bank money as well as bank money. For technological and political reasons, bank money will not be able to emulate the superior properties of sovereign digital tokens. Uncovered and unwarranted cryptocurrencies, too, will not stand the competition in the long run. The shifts in the monetary system are changing the role of central banks in the interplay of monetary, fiscal and private-creditary functions and open up improved options for monetary policy. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, and policymakers in monetary and financial economics, and digital currencies.

Since the 2007 2008 global financial crisis, there has been much debate about the role of financial regulation and the causes of financial instability in the industry. Where studies commonly question the value of a regulated rather than free market , this book focuses on the differentiation of 'good regulation' and 'bad regulation'. This book highlights the need for financial regulation to combat corruption, and the integral link that exists between corruption and financial instability. The author evaluates the benefits and shortcomings of specific types of regulation, drawing on recent examples to illustrate each argument. The book presents compelling arguments for the regulation of leverage, liquidity, payday loans and securitisation; and debates the negative aspects of the regulation of short selling, and high-frequency trading, and of Basel-style banking regulation. The author argues that there is no free-market solution to financial instability, and rejects the idea of 'too big to fail'.

Financial analysis is concerned with the study of capital flows over time and space. This book presents a new theory of multi-sector, multi-instrument financial systems based on the visualization of such systems as networks. The framework is both qualitative and computational and depends crucially on the methodologies of finite-dimensional variational inequality theory for the study of statics and equilibrium states and on projected dynamical systems for the study of dynamics and disequilibrium behavior. Moreover, it adds a graphical dimension to the fundamental economic structure of financial systems and their evolution through time.

Data analytics underpin our modern data-driven economy. This textbook explains the relevance of data analytics at the firm and industry levels, tracing the evolution and key components of the field, and showing how data analytics insights can be leveraged for business results. The first section of the text covers key topics such as data analytics tools, data mining, business intelligence, customer relationship management, and cybersecurity. The chapters then take an industry focus, exploring how data analytics can be used in particular settings to strengthen business decision-making. A range of sectors are examined, including financial services, accounting, marketing, sport, health care, retail, transport, and education. With industry case studies, clear definitions of terminology, and no background knowledge required, this text supports students in gaining a solid understanding of data analytics and its practical applications. PowerPoint slides, a test bank of questions, and an instructor's manual are also provided as online supplements. This will be a valuable text for undergraduate level courses in data analytics, data mining, business intelligence, and related areas.

This book explores gender diversity in the financial system, focusing especially on regulations, disclosure standards, theories and literature on the relationship between women in atypical positions and bank performance, female representation in governance bodies of banks and insurance companies, the gender pay gap and the gender balance in Central Banks. The topics are examined highlighting the progress towards gender equality (SDG 5) and the room for improvement in financial services with implications for policymakers, regulators and researchers in both finance and gender studies.

This book provides systematic comparative research of antifraud laws and context at EU countries using a Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to predict illegal activities in ERDF and CF. It also details a map of corruption risk with the goal of reducing corruption and fraud in the management of European Regional Development Funds and Cohesion Funds through the incorporation of adequate measures and strategies derived from the resulting of EUMODFRAUD EU Project. The authors analyse the specific situations, observe the risks and finally, propose an innovative method that allows predicting fraudulent acts, which will be of interest to both academics, researchers, and policy makers in financial services, public finance, and financial crime.

This book analyses the use of qualitative and quantitative content analysis methodologies for risk disclosure practices in the European banking industry. While doing so, it assesses the level of transparency of financial and non-financial reports by focusing on the information disclosed to the public with reference to risk exposure and management. By drawing upon both qualitative and quantitative techniques, the book proposes two different methodological approaches to assess the information European financial institutions provide to the public with reference to the risk disclosure and derivative disclosure in their annual financial reports. These methodologies are subsequently employed to carry out empirical analyses on samples of European banks. By exploiting the points of strength of both qualitative and quantitative content analysis methodologies, this book offers insights into the advantages and disadvantages of these methodologies. The book is a must-read for academics and researchers that analyze disclosure practices of financial and non-financial firms, as well as financial analysts and other practitioners that are interested in assessing the level of transparency and evaluating the disclosures of financial and non-financial firms, especially, but not exclusively, with reference to risk disclosure and derivative disclosure.

Banks are frequently considered usurers. Is it possible to talk about ethics when you analyse banking activity? This book focuses on this question and starts with the history and the philosophy. Philosophers like Aristotle, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill proposed different theories about the need for ethics in finance. If we accept Mill's thought, the production of wealth in society is driven by the personal pursuit of profit. But - unfortunately - this does not, on its own, ensure collective well-being. It must be guided by a superior mechanism which transforms it into wealth for all. This introduces the role of financial institutions, which often have to comply with legal obligations. The book focuses on the role that these institutions have in supporting the 'ethical' use of money. The author analyses a number of cases in banks and the financial industry and discusses topics like anti-money laundering, anti-usury, islamic finance, microcredit and bank rescue systems, including not only best practices but also examples of unethical financial management.

This book provides perspectives on the latest developments and pertinent issues in the Indian financial sector in current times. The reforms initiated in the nineties in the financial sector have transformed the way financial markets and institutions function today. However, certain sectors like banking, and markets like the capital market have undergone sea changes. The research contributions in this book focus on the issues pertaining to such sectors like banking, NBFCs and the stock market. The opening up of financial markets and emergence of institutional investors have been a significant phenomenon in the Indian context. At this backdrop of increasing financial integration, the impact of financial liberalisation on the overall development of the sector, and how the global policies and events influence the Indian financial sector, are analysed in the book. The emergence of new regulations in the capital markets to instill more discipline and transparency, have also changed the way corporates take financing decisions. For example, regulatory authorities are continuously reviewing norms pertaining to issues like promoters' shareholding owing to risks arising from excessive leverage and the linkages between financial intermediaries. Corporate governance, environmental aspects are some important additions in corporate financing norms in the recent past. The book incorporates a discussion on this, too. Apart from these, the book also has incorporated several aspects on an emerging concept called financial inclusion, its measurement and constraints to achieve the same. And finally, at the backdrop of the disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the Indian capital market is also discussed. Contributions are based on rigorous empirical research and incorporate the perspectives of renowned academicians in the field of finance and financial economics across the country. Apart from the research community, this book will also be helpful for financial analysts working in the financial sector to have some idea about the current issues, the direction of research on those issues and different perspectives on them.

This book addresses contemporary and modern topics around business growth and economic development in Southeastern Europe. It covers a wide range of business issues focusing on the adoption of new technologies, finance of SMEs, place marketing, value co-creation, contribution to economic growth, and internationalization. Moverover, it sheds new light on the micro- and macroeconomic developments and monetary policy issues in the Eastern European and Balkan countries. This book is a useful tool for scholars in economics and finance interested in the further economic development of the Balkans and Eastern European countries as well as to professionals in the business, financial and insurance sectors.

OpRisk Awards 2020 Book of the Year Winner! The Authoritative Guide to the Best Practices in Operational Risk Management Operational Risk Management offers a comprehensive guide that contains a review of the most up-to-date and effective operational risk management practices in the financial services industry. The book provides an essential overview of the current methods and best practices applied in financial companies and also contains advanced tools and techniques developed by the most mature firms in the field. The author explores the range of operational risks such as information security, fraud or reputation damage and details how to put in place an effective program based on the four main risk management activities: risk identification, risk assessment, risk mitigation and risk monitoring. The book also examines some specific types of operational risks that rank high on many firms' risk registers. Drawing on the author's extensive experience working with and advising financial companies, Operational Risk Management is written both for those new to the discipline and for experienced operational risk managers who want to strengthen and consolidate their knowledge.