Search results for "banks"
showing 10 items of 146 documents
Saving banks and society: a model of commitment to society
2012
Savings banks are increasingly interested in social issues, reflecting a corporate commitment to meet the demands of society. Our goal is to understand the importance of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) for savings banks and the actions carried out to promote it. To do this we assume that these entities are more resources devoted to society. The field work was conducted through a questionnaire answered by 57 Spanish institutions. We note that CSR is a growing movement with enormous potential, because of the role of financial intermediation and lending banks to develop. Finally, it is curious to see how social contributions materialize so correlated. Las Cajas de Ahorros tienen cada vez…
Do microfinance institutions benefit from integrating financial and nonfinancial services?
2017
This article examines the impact of microfinance ‘plus’ (i.e. coordinated combination of financial and nonfinancial services) on the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Using a global data set of MFIs in 77 countries, we find that the provision of nonfinancial services does not harm nor improve MFIs’ financial sustainability and efficiency. The results however suggest that the provision of social services is associated with improved loan quality and greater depth of outreach.
Keep the faith in banking : New evidence for the effects of negative interest rates based on the case of Finnish cooperative banks
2021
This paper analyses the profitability of Finnish cooperative banks during the period of negative nominal interest rates. Contrary to expectations, the continuous decline in money market interest rates between 2009 and 2014, and the following negative rate era, did not have adverse effects on the profitability of banks at the beginning of negative interest rate period. Based on especially using a risk-adjusted measure for bank profitability, these results contrast with previous findings. In our findings, the increasing wholesale funding (WSF) ratio seems to be an important factor. However, after 2017 the banks have not been able to improve especially their risk-adjusted profitability so stro…
SARS-CoV-2: Impact on, Risk Assessment and Countermeasures in German Eye Banks.
2020
Introduction Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been some debate regarding the risk of transmission through tissue transplantation and tissue banking processes. Aim of the study To analyze the changes that SARS-CoV-2 has caused regarding the harvesting of corneal donor tissue and eye bank activities in Germany. Methods A questionnaire was provided to 26 eye banks in Germany, consisting of questions about adaptations made in the screening of potential donors and the harvesting of corneal tissue following the pandemic spread of SARS-CoV-2. Results Eighteen eye banks actively reduced recruitment of donors and two banks ceased all activity. Additional diagnostic screening wa…
An Economic Viewpoint on Capitalism Bashing
2016
Abstract In this paper I discuss two long disputed notions: that capitalism without crises is a fallacy respectively that capitalism bashing, however severe, will not endanger the system itself. Yet proving both is not an easy task since the capitalism issue has always been a cupellation of theory, ideology and political precepts, which are controversial and hard to disentangle. That capitalism detractors are numberless is a truism. Yet criticism against capitalism, however fierce, has always been clearly delineated. Not any more: globalization has rendered the picture dangerously fuzzy. It is now hard to ascertain whether someone who will harangue about the ostensible evils of globalizatio…
THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE PERFORMANCE AND SURVIVAL OF MICRO-ENTERPRISES
2021
The research was supported by the NATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME “LATVIAN HERITAGE AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE STATE” project “CHALLENGES FOR THE LATVIAN STATE AND SOCIETY AND THE SOLUTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT" (INTERFRAME-LV, Project No.VPP-IZM-2018/1-0005).
Monitoring and Market Power in Loan Markets
2000
Whether or not banks are engaged in ex ante monitoring of customers may have important consequences for the whole economy. We approach this question via a model in which banks can invest in either information acquisition or market power (product differentiation). The two alternatives generate different predictions, which are tested using panel data on Finnish local banks. We find evidence that banks’ investments in branch networks and human capital (personnel) contribute to information acquisition but not to market power. We also find that managing customers’ money transactions enhances banks ability to control their lending risks.
Analysing the Financial Soundness of the Commercial Banks in Romania: An Approach based on the Camels Framework
2013
Abstract The Romanian banking system has undergone through tremendous changes in the last decade, its financial soundness and performance being paramount in the achievement of a stable and sustainable economic growth. Thus, the aim of our research is to comparatively analyse the financial soundness of the commercial banks that operate in Romania. In order to achieve this we have used one of the most popular methods for the analysis of the financial soundness of banks, namely the CAMELS framework. The obtained results highlight the strengths and the vulnerabilities of the analysed banks, underlining the need to strengthen the concerns of the decision makers from banks to improve and increase…
The development of mobile banking services in a large Finnish financial organization
2018
The chapter, based on an ongoing qualitative study, provides answers to the following questions: what are the case organizations’ rationales in developing mobile banking services? how are customer perspectives considered in developing them? and what are the implications of digitalization and m-banking for the bank and the client? Based on the findings, m-banking is seen to allow ubiquitous availability and efficiency of service provision, offering a sound rationale for their development. The flipside is that digital and m-banking services dilute the human interaction, which challenges the rationale of improving the customer experience. The service development follows the software industry m…
Microcredit as a tool for combating financial exclusion in Italy: the differences on a regional and local level
2016
This paper proposes a mapping of microcredit (social and productive) in the period from 2005 to 2013 in three main Italian regions. Later we offer a description of the micro-credit initiatives promoted by cooperative credit banks trying to take advantage of any differences in the initiatives promoted by other types of operators in terms of default rates of loans. The differences will be commented on the basis of the distinctive features of this category of these relationship banks in order to identify a possible way of development of microcredit in Italy