Online hybrid Dutch auction approach for selling toxic assets under asymmetric bidders and the possibility of collusion

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic-related economic recession causes a noticeable risk to banks with a substantial increase in toxic assets, including non-performing loans (NPLs). Despite the downsides, the pandemic is accelerating the spread of e-commerce. The best and most effective solution for resolving toxic assets would be a well-designed auction. Due to the fact, this represents a significant opportunity to tackle the next wave of NPLs via e-auctions. This study aims to model, for the first time, the Hybrid Dutch Auction (HDA) for online selling of NPLs. The HDA includes Dutch, Sealed-bid, and Best bid stages, and their equilibria are derived via backward induction. Theoretically and with a simulation, the study compares the HDA with the Amsterdam, the optimal auction, and the first-price and English auctions in symmetric and asymmetric environments. The results indicate that the HDA outperforms the other formats under different competition levels and the possibility of collusion.