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Finance Banking Featured News World

The impact of fintech on lending

Fintech has improved efficiency and inclusion in banking, especially lending, but has also raised concerns about financial stability, privacy, discrimination, and overall wellbeing. This column introduces a framework that outlines the differences between fintech firms and traditional banks and how fintech affects frictions in lending. New technologies influence the differentiation between banks and fintechs and […]

Finance Banking Featured News World

US bank stocks plunge as investors grow uneasy about mounting risks

U.S. bank stocks, including Zions Bancorporation, Jefferies, and Western Alliance, fell sharply on Thursday as investors grew uneasy about risk in the sector, which has been shaken by exposure to two auto bankruptcies. Zions sank 12% after disclosing it would take a $50 million loss in the third quarter on two commercial and industrial loans from […]

Global Banking Featured Finance

Global bank stocks slide as US credit risks spark reality check

Global financial stocks slid on Friday as a rout in U.S. regional banking shares heightened concerns about credit quality and mounting risks in the sector. The banking sector’s exposure in two recent U.S. auto bankruptcies has rekindled concerns about lending standards more than two years after Silicon Valley Bank’s failure, when high interest rates drove paper losses on […]

Banking Environment Featured Finance World

Bank climate commitments and green lending in emerging markets

The low-carbon transition requires substantial financial mobilisation, yet it is unclear whether banks’ public climate commitments represent real change or simply greenwashing. This column uses unique survey data from 335 banks across 33 emerging markets to examine their internal green practices and lending approaches. The authors find that climate-committed banks score substantially higher on green […]

Finance Banking Featured World

The macroeconomic effects of introducing a central bank digital currency

Central bank digital currencies are gaining traction as a potential innovation in central banking, with numerous countries considering their implementation. However, given the limited real-world experience with such currencies, researchers and policymakers depend on theoretical analysis to assess their potential. This column presents a new macroeconomic model that reveals significant welfare gains from introducing central […]

Finance Business Economy Featured News

Artificial intelligence in finance

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the financial sector. This column introduces the seventh report in The Future of Banking series, which examines the fundamental transformations induced by AI and the policy challenges it raises. It focuses on three main themes: the use of AI in financial intermediation, central banking and policy, and regulatory challenges; the […]

Banking Economy Featured Technology

Finding the sweet spot between bank rivalry and safety

Imagine your favorite open-air market. Stalls hustle for customers, prices fall, and shoppers win—until one fragile roof gives way and everyone scrambles. Banking is similar. Lean rivalry makes credit cheaper; cut-throat rivalry slashes margins so deeply that lenders may gamble to survive. Finding the sweet spot is not guess-work. A new World Bank working paper – Navigating […]

Banking Featured Finance World

Before banks: Historical lessons for rethinking credit

The global financial crisis of 2008 has led economists, historians, and policymakers alike to re-examine the foundations of our financial infrastructure. This column revisits the world of credit before the rise of modern banking to draw insights for contemporary reform. Drawing on historical research from early modern Europe, it reveals that communities long relied on […]

Banking Business Economy Finance Innovation Investing Technology trade World

Video might kill the radio star: Digitalisation and the future of banking

New technologies are changing how banks produce and provide financial services. These changes have implications for traditional banks, creating novel sources of systemic risk which could in turn pose regulatory and policy challenges. This column introduces a new report by the Advisory Scientific Committee of the European Systemic Risk Board that discusses the impact that […]