Financial Stability Policy In The Euro Zone

​Due to the lack of political salience that financial stability policy enjoys in tranquil economic times, this policy field lends itself particularly well to capture – the more so the more important the role of banks is in the financial system. Gundbert Scherf’s research focuses on this nexus between integrated banking, supranational monetary policy and national banking regulation. He finds that national level differences in financial systems and related institutions explain and drive variation in regulatory financial stability policy across countries.

As a result of the financial crisis, the weaknesses of the Eurozone, including the public debt crisis, materialized in severe depressions in certain of its country members. In this monograph, the author analyzes structural weaknesses of the Eurozone and argues that they can be traced to (i) institutional differences, (ii) differences in the economic structures, (iii) the fundamental inability of European Bureaucracy to deal with crises, and (iv) the extreme rigidity of markets which prevents a general equilibrium in product and credit markets. He concludes that whether the Eurozone is sustainable, depends on future monetary and credit policies, and discusses the implications of reforming it in the best interest of the international banking and financial system. The recent policies of the ECB of “cheap” credit expansion are examined in detail. The approach of the work is along the lines of von Mises’ and Hayek’s Austrian tradition; additionally, substantive international empirical evidence supporting this Austrian approach is presented.

Overall the resilience of large euro area banks has improved, but important vulnerabilities remain. Capital buffers are in aggregate sizeable relative to immediate threats, but some banks are especially vulnerable to credit risk and others to market risks, including a substantial rise in risk premia. The banking system as a whole has ample liquidity, against a backdrop of ECB support. At a structural level, low profitability is found in many banks across all business models, despite improving conjunctural conditions. The interconnectedness analysis shows that strong buffers are effective in dampening both vulnerabilities and onward transmission. Risks to financial stability relate mainly to tighter financial conditions, weaker growth, and policy and geopolitical uncertainties. The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU (Brexit) could potentially disrupt financial market and services, and thus the wider economy. Also, policy reversals could hurt debt sustainability and test the cohesion of policy making in the union.

In the wake of the financial crisis, new regulatory measures were introduced which, along with changes in monetary and macroeconomic policy, have transformed the global financial structure. However, this new financial structure displays various fragilities. A new shadow banking system has grown both inside and outside the traditional banks and the divergence between core and periphery countries’ banks has increased further due to both the new regulations and the European Central Bank’s very peculiar interventions. Following Minsky’s approach, this volume explores the interplay between monetary policy, regulation and institutions in the aftermath of the great financial crisis. Minsky’s insights are used to interpret the recent regulatory changes and consider how they have affected the evolution of banks and financial markets. The unfortunate conclusion is that the changes in financial regulation introduced in various jurisdictions and inspired by the work of the Basel Committee, have not succeeded in thwarting the instability of the economic system. Instead, the mix of policies implemented so far has brought about increased fragility in the financial system. Minksy’s work on financial stability offers alternative solutions which policy-makers need to consider to resolve these issues. Financial Regulation in the European Union After the Crisis is an important volume for those who study political economy, banking and monetary economics.

Since the outbreak of the 2008 financial crisis, European Union (EU) institutions and Member States have engaged in a major effort to repair the architecture of economic governance of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). This book takes as its starting point the unclear notion of financial stability, which only recently has received a more detailed legal analysis. It examines the evolution of the concept of financial stability during the financial crisis and provides a conceptual framework in order to demonstrate that financial stability has become a foundational objective in Europe and has set a new normative framework in EU law and policy. Arguing that financial stability is a foundational objective in EU law and policy based on certain normative instruments, this ground-breaking book provides an in-depth and original understanding of the newly developed framework to attain supranational financial stability. In its analysis of the legal implications of these new instruments, the study examines topics and issues such as the following: - the concept and normative instruments of financial stability at European level; - the renewed economic governance in Europe; - the financial assistance mechanisms developed in Europe; - the new regulatory environment for banks at European level; - the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the role of the European Central Bank (ECB) therein; and - the new framework for banking resolution, with specific focus on the Single Resolution Mechanism. The author shows in detail how an appropriate level of supranational regulation, supervision, burden-sharing and rescue measures strengthen financial stability. Thereby, the book will appeal to officials in EU institutions and agencies as well as lawyers and academics in EU law and in banking/financial law to gain a clear understanding of role of financial stability and its normative instruments in EU law and policy. Gianni Lo Schiavo is currently working as a lawyer at the ECB. He obtained a PhD in EU Law at King's College, London, and has written numerous articles and chapters in EU administrative law, EU financial/banking law and EU competition law.

This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of monetary policy, banking supervision and financial stability in the euro area. The author uses his professional experience in central banking to provide a thorough understanding of European economics and to explore how the monetary and financial system functions. The book takes into account the profound changes that resulted from crisis developments in recent years, such as the implementation of quantitative easing or the establishment of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The author also invites readers to develop their thoughts on alternative policies to shape the monetary and financial system of the future. The textbook is tailor-made for intermediate courses in economics but will also appeal to those preparing a career in central banking or financial regulation.

This Selected Issues paper discusses the effectiveness of monetary policy in the euro area in the context of the financial crisis, the need for special resolution regimes for financial institutions in the European Union (EU), and the proposed new EU financial stability arrangements. The paper analyzes the European Central Bank's response to the global financial crisis and discusses ways forward. The case for establishing or improving resolution regimes for financial institutions in EU countries is also outlined.

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Economics - Monetary theory and policy, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, language: English, abstract: The article by Marcus Stallechner and Daniel Kolb deals with the structure, objectives and principles of operation of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The focus is on the way from the emergence of those two companies, their company and capital structure, as well as on their financial support instruments and lending operations. The topicality and effects on the economy as well as the great public interest make this to an interesting article, which approaches the details and facts of the EFSF and ESM.