The covid-19 crisis will come on top of the pre-crisis challenges of the traditional banking business model: revenue pressure and low profitability (low levels of interest rates and higher levels of capital), tighter regulation (after previous financial crisis), and increasing competition from shadow banks and new digital entrants.
In this second report of the “CEPR/IESE series on The Future of Banking”, the authors offer an in depth analysis of the international banking sector.
One of the main ideas of the study is that the banking sector will be under stress due to high levels of credit losses once large-scale insolvencies arise between corporates and households due to the global economic downturn caused by the covid-19 crisis.
This will happen despite the fact that the sector initially enjoyed a positive momentum during the pandemic, channeling the flow of credit and public guarantee loan programs to the economy, and enjoying flexibility measures by regulators and supervisors.
Among many other relevant issues, the report pay much attention to the digital disruption, as one of the pre-crisis trends that will be much more accelerated after the pandemic: “Digitalization will receive a large impetus, with new entrants challenging banks”. This situation provides many benefits, but also new risks that will require regulatory responses, and crucially will require a level playing field between incumbents and new entrants.
The authors consider that “Digital disruption poses a formidable challenge to regulators, which must adapt by balancing facilitating competition and allowing the benefits of innovation to pervade the system with protecting financial stability”.
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According to Kristalina Georgeva IMF Managing Director, lifting growth requires three things: one, regulatory housecleaning to unleash private enterprise; two, deeper regional integration; and three, preparedness to harness AI.
According to The European House – Ambrosetti, the European Union has an opportunity to boost competitiveness and growth by simplifying regulatory and supervisory frameworks, particularly in the areas of sustainability and the financial sector.
According to Ramón Casilda Béjar, Spain, in today’s complex geopolitical landscape, has the opportunity to strengthen its role as a bridge and connecting country between Ibero-America and the European Union, revitalizing investment flows in both directions.
According to @ECB, in moments of acute stress, the public often turns to physical currency as a reliable store of value and a resilient means of payment, underscoring the crucial role it plays above and beyond everyday transactional convenience
According to Juan S. Mora-Sanguinetti, in Spain a 10% increase in regulatory volume leads to a 0.5% drop in employment in companies with fewer than 10 employees.
According to Hélène Rey “In a world where stablecoins, particularly those pegged to the dollar, become an important global payment tool, we must brace ourselves for substantial consequences”.
@judith_arnal proposes reforms for the EU to advance regulatory simplification, starting with consensus on its meaning, with competitiveness as a pillar, plus coordination mechanisms and a governance rethink.
According to @iee_org, Spain has one of the most demanding tax environments for businesses within the European and international context, which may have significant implications for competitiveness, foreign investment attraction, and business expansion.
According to Christine Lagarde for the euro to gain in status, Europe must take decisive steps by completing the single market, reducing regulatory burdens and building a robust capital markets union.
According to the Bank of Spain, in a context of strong growth in transactions and prices, the conditions under which new mortgage loans are granted currently show no signs of easing in lending standards.
McKinsey notes that European private capital is half the size of the U.S. and must play a key role in boosting competitiveness, by driving innovation, scaling firms, and mobilizing the investment needed to close the gap with other regions.
IMF states that global financial stability risks have grown significantly, driven by tighter financial conditions and heightened trade and geopolitical uncertainty.