Reports of Professor Elisabeth Krecké
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Low interest rates: How long will savers be penalized?
Low, near-zero and negative interest rates around the world are depriving savers of potential earnings. Just a couple of years ago, it seemed as if a normalization of interest rates was on the horizon. Now, however, economic and political realities portend a “low-for-long” scenario. In fact, central bankers – in ...
The dangers of preferential treatment for sovereign debt
Under current rules, eurozone countries’ bonds are classified as “zero-risk,” meaning banks are not required to hold any capital against such assets. The system creates a perverse incentive for banks to stock up on sovereign debt, creating a toxic mix – but what can be done? Putting risk assessments on ...
The European Central Bank – independent and unaccountable?
Since its creation in 1998, the European Central Bank has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most independent monetary policy authorities. Unlike its peers, the ECB has no fiscal counterpart pressuring it to manipulate interest rates. Yet as the scope of its activities and global influence have expanded, ...
Breaking through zero: New options for monetary expansion in the EU
After dropping interest rates close to zero and pumping 2.6 trillion euros into Europe’s economy through debt purchases, is the European Central Bank out of ammunition? Not necessarily. Through its “targeted longer-term refinancing operations” (TILTROs), the ECB is planning to use negative interest rates to pay commercial banks to make ...
Prospects for two-tiered banking regulation in Europe
The European Union’s complex and lengthy set of rules for banks is putting a burden on small lenders, which often form the backbone of a country’s banking sector. The solution, some propose, is to have a two-tiered system in which the banks that are “too big to fail” must follow ...
‘Basel IV’ and the stability of the financial industry
The Basel Committee on Bank Supervision has rolled out new recommendations that most international banks are expected to follow. Many in the industry criticize the rules’ complexity and restrictiveness, but regulators say they don’t go far enough. Everyone agrees, however, that more regulations are soon to come. In the meantime, ...
A year of change for the European Union?
The European Union, which still lacks a post-Brexit vision of itself, will be changing the leadership of almost all its leading institutions over the next few months. Candidates are already jostling for position to take over at the European Commission and the European Central Bank, and surprises could be in ...
‘Overbanking’ in Europe
While American banks recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, lenders in Europe have languished. Contrasting regulatory approaches and economic environments account for some of the differences, but European banking authorities have their own explanation: “overbanking.” Their reasoning is odd, not least because the European Union’s banking sector is shrinking.
