This technical note on Investor Protection, Disclosure, and Financial Literacy for Portugal explains investor protection and corporate governance. Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (CMVM) is the regulator in charge on ensuring compliance with disclosure issues as well as the corporate...

This study reviews selected issues on investor protection and corporate governance in Australia, and concludes that the corporate governance framework for Australian-listed companies is largely healthy and dynamic. Shareholder activism is an important element of corporate governance because it...

This technical note assesses the reform of Spanish savings banks (SSBs). It provides a brief overview of the SSB institutional framework before the reform, and describes the main factors that led to the financial distress, albeit uneven, of the SSB sector. The note outlines major regulatory and...

The German financial system is complex and highly diversified. The second most important class of financial institutions is insurance and pension companies. Germany has taken steps to enhance accounting and auditing practices and to align corporate governance with best international practices....

The Detailed Assessments of the Observance of Standards and Codes on France reviews compliance with Basel Core Principles for effective banking supervision. The French insurance market is notable for its broad range of distribution channels, which include tied agents, insurance brokers, salaried...

The staff report for the Second Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement on the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia highlights economic developments and policies. FYR of Macedonia’s economic performance since independence has been marked by notable achievements in macroeconomic...

This paper describes economic developments in Malawi during the 1990s. Malawi’s economy began to deteriorate in late 1991 as a result of a series of exogenous shocks. These shocks included two major droughts, a severe weakening in the terms of trade, and a suspension of donor...

Contents include: Real sector developments: output trends; sectoral developments; and income, wages, and prices. Public finances; fiscal balance; revenue developments; expenditure developments; social safety net. Financial sector developments; monetary and exchange rate developments; the use of...

This paper discusses key finding of the Financial System Stability Assessment, including Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) on the Banking Supervision and Payment Systems in Albania. The assessment reveals that the Albanian financial system is not highly vulnerable to...