The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the banking system, over and beyond its credit function, has a significant impact on per capita GDP by providing means of payment. An annual database of 85 countries spanning the 1980-2008 period is exploited to this end. On the descriptive front,...

Based on the information of Argentine banks during the period 1998-2005, this paper analyzes if the bank loan portfolio was efficient in the sense of prioritizing the productive sectors with higher growth and stability. The statistical and econometrical response of the study is an unequivocal...

The impact of the business cycle on banks’ internally generated cash flow is an important driver in the pro-cyclical dynamics of the traditional banking business and yet the issue has been understated in the discussion on counter-cyclical regulations. Considerable attention has been given to...