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Business and Economics > Finance: General

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 20 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Multinational Firms; International Business x
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Cover IMF Working Papers
The Internationalization of China’s Equity Markets
Juan J. Cortina
,
Mr. Maria Soledad Martinez Peria
,
Mr. Sergio L. Schmukler
, and
Jasmine Xiao
China’s equity markets internationalization process started in the early 2000s but accelerated after 2012, when Chinese firms’ shares listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen gradually became available to international investors. This paper studies the effects of the post-2012 internationalization events by comparing the evolution of equity financing and investment activities for: (i) domestic listed firms relative to firms that already had access to international investors and (ii) domestic listed firms that were directly connected to international markets relative to those that were not. The paper finds large increases in financial and investment activities for domestic listed and for connected firms, with significant aggregate effects. The evidence also suggests the rise in firms’ equity issuances was primarily and initially financed by domestic investors. International investors’ portfolio holdings in Chinese equity markets and ownership in firms increased markedly only once Chinese firms’ locally issued shares became part of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
Keywords:
equity financing; equity market liberalization; firm investment; foreign investors; international investors; issuance activity; Stock Connect; portfolio holding; internationalization process; unconnected firm; China's equity markets; Stock markets; Stocks; Foreign corporations; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Market capitalization; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Digitalization and Resilience: Firm-level Evidence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nordine Abidi
,
Mehdi El Herradi
, and
Sahra Sakha
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented shock to firms with adverse consequences for existing productive capacities. At the same time, digitalization has increasingly been touted as a key pathway for mitigating economic losses from the pandemic, and we expect firms facing digital constraints to be less resilient to supply shocks. This paper uses firm-level data to investigate whether digitally-enabled firms have been able to mitigate economic losses arising from the pandemic better than digitally-constrained firms in the Middle East and Central Asia region using a difference-in-differences approach. Controlling for demand conditions, we find that digitally-enabled firms faced a lower decline in sales by about 4 percentage points during the pandemic compared to digitally-constrained firms, suggesting that digitalization acted as a hedge during the pandemic. Against this backdrop, our results suggest that policymakers need to close the digital gap and accelerate firms’ digital transformation. This will be essential for economies to bounce back from the pandemic, and build the foundations for future resilience.
Keywords:
COVID-19; digitalization; technology adoption; economic resilience; Middle East and Central Asia; digitally-enabled firm; digitally-constrained firm; firms in the Middle East; firm-level data; digital transformation; Digitalization; Financial inclusion; Foreign corporations; Asia and Pacific; Africa; Middle East; North Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
Pareto-Improving Minimum Corporate Taxation
Mr. Shafik Hebous
and
Mr. Michael Keen
The recent international agreement on a minimum effective corporate tax rate marks a profound change in global tax arrangements. The appropriate level of that minimum, however, has been, and remains, extremely contentious. This paper explores the strategic responses to a minimum tax, which—the policy objective being to change the rules of tax competition game--—are critical for assessing the design and welfare impact of, and prospects for, this fundamental policy innovation. Analysis and calibration plausibly suggest sizable scope for minima that are Pareto-improving, benefiting low as well as high tax countries, over the uncoordinated equilibrium.
Keywords:
Tax Competition; Minimum Taxation; Corporate Tax Reform; International Taxation; competition game; policy objective; corporate tax reform; best response; country benefit; residence country; Corporate income tax; Competition; Tax avoidance; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Bank Ownership: Trends and Implications
Robert Cull
,
Mr. Maria Soledad Martinez Peria
, and
Jeanne Verrier
This paper presents recent trends in bank ownership across countries and summarizes the evidence regarding the implications of bank ownership structure for bank performance and competition, financial stability, and access to finance. The evidence reviewed suggests that foreign-owned banks are more efficient than domestic banks in developing countries, promote competition in host banking sectors, and help stabilize credit when host countries face idiosyncratic shocks. But there are tradeoffs, since foreign-owned banks can transmit external shocks and might not always expand access to credit. The record on the impact of government bank ownership suggests few benefits, especially for developing countries.
Keywords:
WP; bank ownership; government-owned bank; bank participation; foreign bank; government bank lending; ownership structure; bank governance; financial globalization; foreign banks; state-owned banks; privatization; government ownership; bank share; government bank participation; Commercial banks; Bank credit; Credit; Competition; Central and Eastern Europe; South Asia; Eastern Europe; Global; Central Asia
Cover IMF Working Papers
Benefits of Global and Regional Financial Integration in Latin America
Luc Eyraud
,
Ms. Diva Singh
, and
Mr. Bennett W Sutton
The timing is ripe to pursue greater regional financial integration in Latin America given the withdrawal of some global banks from the region and the weakening of growth prospects. Important initiatives are ongoing to foster financial integration. Failure to capitalize on this would represent a significant missed opportunity. This paper examines the scope for further global and regional financial integration in Latin America, based on economic fundamentals and comparisons to other emerging regions, and quantifies the potential macroeconomic gains that such integration could bring. The analysis suggests that closing the financial integration gap could boost GDP growth be ¼ - ¾ percentage point in these countries, on average.
Keywords:
WP; composite index; market participant; financial activity; branch market; BIS bank lending; closed economy; GDP ratio; market infrastructure; Latin America; Financial integration; Growth; investment profile subcomponent; Regional integration; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Global; Europe; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Transmission of Liquidity Shocks: The Role of Internal Capital Markets and Bank Funding Strategies
Mr. Philippe D Karam
,
Ouarda Merrouche
,
Moez Souissi
, and
Ms. Rima A Turk
We analyze the transmission of bank-specific liquidity shocks triggered by a credit rating downgrade through the lending channel. Using bank-level data for US Bank Holding Companies, we find that a credit rating downgrade is associated with an immediate and persistent decline in access to non-core deposits and wholesale funding, especially during the global financial crisis. This translates into a reduction in lending to households and non-financial corporates at home and abroad. The effect on domestic lending, however, is mitigated when banks (i) hold a larger buffer of liquid assets, (ii) diversify away from rating-sensitive sources of funding, and (iii) activate internal liquidity support measures. Foreign lending is significantly reduced during a crisis at home only for subsidiaries with weak funding self-sufficiency.
Keywords:
WP; credit rating; parent company; bank lending; financial crisis; money market; Credit ratings; Liquidity management; Credit supply; Multinational banks; Internal capital markets; downgraded bank; liquidity shock; parent bank; bank affiliate; bank Funding strategy; bank funding; top-rated bank; bank activity; bank downgrade; Liquidity; Bank credit; Loans; Deposit insurance; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Banking Globalization
Mr. Stijn Claessens
and
Neeltje van Horen
Although cross-border bank lending has fallen sharply since the crisis, extending our bank ownership database from 1995-2009 up to 2013 shows only limited retrenchment in foreign bank presence. While banks from OECD countries reduced their foreign presence (but still represent 89% of foreign bank assets), those from emerging markets and developing countries expanded abroad and doubled their presence. Especially advanced countries hit by a systemic crisis reduced their presence abroad, with far flung and relatively small investments more likely to be sold. Poorer and slower growing countries host fewer banks today, while large investments less likely expanded. Conversely, faster host countries’ growth and closeness to potential investors meant more entry. Lending by foreign banks locally grew more than cross-border bank claims did for the same home-host country combination, and each was driven by different factors. Altogether, our evidence shows that global banking is not becoming more fragmented, but rather is going through some important structural transformations with a greater variety of players and a more regional focus.
Keywords:
WP; foreign bank; bank presence; host country; banking system; market share; Foreign banks; financial globalization; global financial crisis; cross-border banking; financial fragmentation; OECD country; cross-border lending; bank ownership; bank asset; banks from emerging markets; group level; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Bank credit; Commercial banks; Global; Central and Eastern Europe; Central Asia; Asia and Pacific; Africa
Cover Staff Discussion Notes
Obstacles to International Policy Coordination, and How to Overcome Them
Mr. Jonathan David Ostry
and
Mr. Atish R. Ghosh
In bilateral and multilateral surveillance, countries are often urged to consider alternative policies that would result in superior outcomes for the country itself and, perhaps serendipitously, for the world economy. While it is possible that policy makers in the country do not fully recognize the benefits of proposed alternative policies, it is also possible that the existing policies are the best that they can deliver, given their various constraints, including political. In order for the policy makers to be able and willing to implement the better policies some quid pro quo may be required—such as a favorable policy adjustment in the recipients of the spillovers; identifying such mutually beneficial trades is the essence of international policy coordination. We see four general guideposts in terms of the search for globally desirable solutions. First, all parties need to identify the nature of spillovers from their policies and be open to making adjustments to enhance net positive spillovers in exchange for commensurate benefits from others; but second, with countries transparent about the spillovers as they see them, an honest broker is likely to be needed to scrutinize the different positions, given the inherent biases at the country level. Third, given the need for policy agendas to be multilaterally consistent, special scrutiny is needed when policies exacerbate global imbalances and currency misalignments; and fourth, by the same token, special scrutiny is also needed when one country’s policies has a perceptible adverse impact on financial-stability risks elsewhere.
Keywords:
SDN; Policy coordination; fiscal policy; transmission effect; Uncertainty; Guideposts; policy package; Nash policy; emerging market; global economy; disinflation policy; transmission multiplier; policy agenda; quantitative easing; policy spillover; Spillovers; Financial sector risk; Cross-border effects; Global financial crisis of 2008-2009; Output gap; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Outward Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Investment: The Case of Developing Countries
Mr. Ali J Al-Sadiq
Over the past two decades, the growth rate of outward foreign direct investment (FDI) from developing and transition economies has increased significantly. Given the role of physical capital accumulation in determining the economic growth rate, it is important to assess how domestic investment responds to such outflows. This study empirically examines the effects of outward FDI on domestic investment in developing countries. Using data from 121 developing and transition economies over the period 1990–2010, the results suggest that FDI outflows negatively impact the rate of domestic investment.
Keywords:
WP; FDI outflow; outward FDI; domestic investment; benchmark investment equation; Foreign Direct Investment; Developing Countries; GMM; FDI inflow; FDI data; Estimation techniques; Capital flows; Financial sector development; Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
Effects of Culture on Firm Risk-Taking: A Cross-Country and Cross-Industry Analysis
Miss Roxana Mihet
This paper investigates the effects of national culture on firm risk-taking, using a comprehensive dataset covering 50,000 firms in 400 industries in 51 countries. Risk-taking is found to be higher for domestic firms in countries with low uncertainty aversion, low tolerance for hierarchical relationships, and high individualism. Domestic firms in such countries tend to take substantially more risk in industries which are more informationally opaque (e.g. finance, mining, IT). Risk-taking by foreign firms is best explained by the cultural norms of their country of origin. These cultural norms do not proxy for legal constraints, insurance safety nets, or economic development.
Keywords:
WP; return on assets; risk-taking behavior; economic development; standard deviation; oil refinery; National culture; corporate risk-taking; industry opacity; compensation practice; firm insolvent; sales growth; differential firm; Foreign corporations; Competition; Asset prices; Financial sector development; Central bank policy rate; Global