The crypto boom and crash of 2020-22 demonstrated that (i) cryptocurrencies with fluctuating values are extremely risky and highly volatile assets, and (ii) cryptocurrencies known as “stablecoins” are vulnerable to systemic runs whenever there are serious doubts about the adequacy of...

This is the fifth in a series of seven papers on interest rates and it covers the monetary policy models, a bank liquidity analysis, the concept of quantitative easing in terms of a bank liquidity analysis, and how a QE policy affects interest rates. The seven papers cover: (1) what are interest...

Zimbabwe is one nation that has for many years remained on the top list of economies with high interest rates spread. High interest rates are a signal of financial sector inefficiency. The stability of the financial sector is greatly linked to economic growth and economic stability. The study...

We analyze the effect of negative monetary policy rates on banks, using detailed supervisory information from Switzerland. For identification, we compare changes in the behavior of banks that had different fractions of their central bank reserves exempt from negative rates. More affected banks...

The financial sphere of Russia was the first sector of the national economy which was affected by the global economic crisis of 2008. Financial markets were hit first and then the banking sector experienced the liquidity problem to be followed by a full-scale economic crisis in Russia. Early in...

Until recently, commercial banks in Zambia have tended to lend more to the Government and foreign financial institutions where credit risk was perceived to be lower than lending to the private sector. As a basis for justifying the creation of a Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) to mitigate credit...

Financial instability and liquidity management by banks is often the most debated topic in the area of monetary economics. This study examines an emerging economy's banking system and contributes to the evolving body of literature on the topic of banks' borrowing behaviour during financial...

We analyze the effect of negative monetary policy rates on banks, using detailed supervisory information from Switzerland. For identification, we compare changes in the behavior of banks that had different fractions of their central bank reserves exempt from negative rates. More affected banks...

Exploiting confidential data on individual German bank balance-sheets, I analyse what characterises a bank that opts to apply negative interest rates to corporate deposits. The results suggest that banks that are highly exposed to the negative interest rate policy (NIRP), i.e. funded by a larger...

Financial liberalization has not lived up to expectations, at least as far as interest rate spreads are concerned. Over the past decade, many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have reformed their financial sectors and reaped major economic benefits as a result. However, the...