Bank Transparency Research Articles

Will central bank transparency reduce inflation in emerging economies?

ABSTRACT This paper gauges the association between central bank transparency (CT) and the inflation rate in 19 emerging countries. The estimations are conducted on an unbalanced panel dataset from 1992 to 2021 using the feasible GLS method. The results show that greater overall CT lowers inflation. The same conclusion applied to all subcomponents of CT, except for political transparency. The robustness analyses mostly confirm the findings. These results suggest that a central bank could remain secretive in the policy weightage between inflation and output stabilization or monetary policy motives to maintain low inflation while being more transparent on other transparency components.

Central bank communication: Inflation target transparency with fiscal policy

AbstractThis article examines the impact of opacity in announcing the central bank's inflation target on macroeconomic volatility and welfare, considering the interaction between an independent central bank and a fiscal authority. Our findings suggest that a key factor influencing the effects of central bank transparency is the relative importance placed by the central bank, compared to the government, on output stabilization versus inflation stabilization. Specifically, when output stabilization is relatively more important for the central bank than for the government, full opacity may benefit the central bank, but not necessarily society as a whole.

Does Central Bank Transparency Matter for Inflation: Role of Inflation Targeting

This paper examines the relationship between central bank transparency and inflation for six inflation targeting (IT) and ten non-inflation targeting (non-IT) Asian economies. The propensity score matching and panel regression model are employed in the study. The empirical analysis shows that IT enhances central bank transparency. Further, we find that central bank transparency in IT significantly lowers inflation, suggesting that countries promoting greater monetary policy transparency can have a better advantage of experiencing low inflation. Our findings have policy implications for central banks in developing economies that are grappling with low transparency.

Transparency in Central Bank and Credit Expansion: Empirical Evidence from Asian Countries

Abstract This research investigated the influence of central bank transparency on credit expansion in 15 Asian nations (both advanced and emerging) during the period from 2000 to 2019. Panel OLS and Dynamic GMM estimation are used to identify the impact of central bank transparency on the credit spread. The findings indicate that central bank transparency plays a crucial role in lowering credit spreads and facilitating credit expansion. In addition, the influence of central bank transparency on credit spreads has a greater effect in emerging economies than in developed economies, highlighting the significance of transparency for tackling information asymmetry within the credit system. Overall, the research highlights the significance of central bank independence in reducing knowledge disparities and promoting a more transparent credit environment.

The bright side of common ownership: Evidence from bank transparency

Over 74% of US banks share common ownership with other banks. Our analysis of a large sample of US banks reveals that those with greater common ownership demonstrate heightened transparency. This manifests as reduced discretion in loan loss provisions, improved financial statement readability, and enhanced comparability. We pinpoint three underlying mechanisms: decreased private information gathering, increased stock liquidity, and diminished managerial incentives for opacity. Furthermore, these commonly owned banks exhibit lower crash risk due to their improved transparency. Our findings hold after using various proxies and two endogeneity-reduction methods: a difference-in-differences analysis based on the 2009 Blackrock–Barclays Global Investors merger and an instrumental variable approach using Russell 2000 index inclusions. Overall, our study underscores the positive impact of common ownership in the banking sector.

Perceived Financial Transparency and Loyalty in the Islamic Banking Sector of Pakistan: Exploring the Role of Trust and Age

The banking sector is the backbone of the global economic system. Islamic banking has emerged as crucial for the economic sector of all developing as well as developed countries. Investment in Islamic avenues is based on the trust and perception of local consumers. This study examines the relationship between the Perceived Financial Transparency of Islamic Banks (PFT) and Loyalty with Islamic Banks (LB). Furthermore, the study examines the mediating role of perceived trust and the moderating role of age. Moreover, the moderated mediation role of age is examined between PFT and perceived value. Data was collected from the 424 consumers of Islamic banks working in Pakistan and was analyzed through PLS-SEM. Results of the study reported a significant and positive relationship between PFT and perceived trust. Similarly, results reported that perceived trust leads to loyalty. Moreover, in terms of mediation analysis results reported that perceived trust significantly mediates between PFT and brand loyalty. Additionally, the moderation results reported that age significantly moderates between PFT and perceived trust. This study will benefit the banks and policymakers to devise policies according to the changing demands of the customers. Moreover, it will encourage conventional bank customers to invest in Islamic banks and other Islamic investment avenues.

THE IMPLICITY OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRANSPARENCY OF BANK LENDING TO THE REAL SECTOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: WORLD EXPERIENCE

The modern development of the global economy is associated with multiple transformational challenges that raise the issue of ensuring an appropriate level of mutual trust between banking and industrial businesses. This issue is especially relevant for Ukraine, which is facing a crucial task - the post-war reconstruction of the national economy on the basis of sustainability, integrity and environmental friendliness. The aim of the paper is to identify implicit links between the transparency of bank lending to the real sector and economic development over the past 15 years in twelve countries, including Ukraine. This study is based on the correlation and regression tools for analysing relationships. As a result, the article confirms the hypothesis of the existence of significant cause-and-effect relationships between improving banking transparency, reducing corruption, growing economic freedom, increasing lending to the real sector and ensuring economic growth for a number of countries, regardless of their level of economic development. It has been found that in countries with steadily high corruption and economic freedom perception indices, the significance of the correlation with the development of bank lending to the real sector is lost. The reasons for deviations from the natural dialectic of the studied relationships are revealed in the example of India and Turkey. The peculiarities of their formation, preconditions and prospects for strengthening in Ukraine are highlighted. The contribution of the National Bank of Ukraine to increasing the level of transparency of lending activities of second-tier banks is investigated.

Does central bank transparency converge across the world? Evidence from a club convergence perspective

We study whether there is any evidence of convergence of central bank transparency in 112 countries from 1998 to 2019 using Phillips and Sul panel club convergence technique. The results don't find evidence of a single club convergence of central bank transparency. Instead, our result reveals four clubs converging to their unique transition path. Further, we found that countries with high financial depth, trade openness, central bank independence, effective government, and inflation increase the likelihood of convergence to a higher club 1. Our findings have policy implications for central bankers and developing economies struggling with low transparency.

Experimenting with Unconventional Monetary Policy: Quantitative Easing in Emerging Markets During Covid-19

The Covid-19 Global Health Pandemic introduced a number of economic challenges to countries around the world. Notably, most policymakers implemented greater fiscal spending and monetary stimulus. For the first time, 15 emerging market economies experimented quantitative easing. Most were not constrained by the zero-lower-bound condition, and the degree of financial depth, central bank independence, and central bank transparency varied significantly. This research yields three critical findings. First, emerging markets experienced declines in capital flows and depreciation pressure stemming from quantitative easing. Second, quantitative easing in advanced economies had a more sizable and significant effect than domestic policies. Finally, the degree of financial development and central bank independence are key drivers in how quantitative easing impacts exchange rates specifically. More developed financial systems and greater central bank independence correspond to dampening the effect of quantitative easing on exchange rates.

The transparency of Development Banks in Brazil: Between the secrecy of bureaucracy and the democratization of information

The transparency of Development Banks in Brazil: Between the secrecy of bureaucracy and the democratization of information

Banks, open banking and data protection

As economic systems continue to evolve, with a particular focus on digital, the banking sector is at the forefront of technological advances, revolutionizing the way customers' finances are managed. With the rapid digitization of financial technologies, the importance of bank data protection and confidentiality measures increases, especially in the context of cross-border data transfers in which different actors are involved, both from the regulated financial-banking area and from less regulated areas, which together can offer open banking services (open-banking). Banking entities around the world are entrusted with customers' sensitive personal and financial data, making the principle of data security a primary concern for maintaining customer trust. Effective data protection in banking encompasses a complex approach, in strict compliance with applicable national and international regulations, state-of-the-art encryption technologies and comprehensive risk management strategies to maintain the highest standards of security, transparency and trust in the system banking.

Impacts of cross‐border equity portfolio flow and central bank transparency on financial development: The role of economic freedom and international bonds

AbstractWe investigate the effects of international equity portfolio diversification and central bank independence on financial development using panel data from 49 countries from 2001 to 2016. We find that international equity portfolio diversification improves financial development. We correspondingly examine potential factors through which international equity portfolio diversification may impact financial development and find that central bank transparency provides an important channel for improving financial development. We further find that the relationship between international equity portfolio diversification and financial development is sensitive to economic freedom. Concerning sequencing, we find that foreign equity and debt flow are complementary to financial system development. Our results are robust to endogeneity using the exogenous shock of the 2008 financial crisis. This study offers new empirical evidence on the relationship between international capital and financial development.

The Role of Stress Tests in Enhancing Bank Transparency: A Comparative Study of Islamic and Conventional Banks

Abstract The global financial crisis highlighted the crucial role of stress tests in evaluating a bank’s resilience to severe economic shocks. Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to examine the contribution of stress tests to credit risk in terms of hedging banking opacity and improving financial resistance against negative shocks in MENA countries, observed for the period from 2012 to 2022. Furthermore,, this study explores the impact of stress tests on enhancing bank transparency, particularly within the contexts of Islamic and conventional banking systems using the Panel-VAR and GMM approach. A conceptual framework is established to explain the connection between stress testing and bank transparency, emphasizing on the mechanisms through which stress tests can promote greater disclosure and accountability. A comparative analysis of stress testing practices across both banking sectors reveals similarities and distinctions in scenario selection, modeling techniques, and disclosure practices. In-depth case studies of Islamic and conventional banks illustrate the practical application of stress testing in fostering transparency. These results show that stress tests produce information about credit risk exposure and about the real conditions of financial institutions. Therefore, more transparency on bank losses and risks would have also enabled bank regulators to focus more attention on financial institutions and react early to take “corrective measures”. Policy recommendations are drawn to enhance the effectiveness of stress testing in promoting transparency and financial stability within both Islamic and conventional banking sectors. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of stress testing’s role in fostering a more resilient and stable financial system.

Does Greater Transparency Discipline the Loan Loss Provisioning of Privately Held Banks?

Whether transparency helps or hurts the stability of the financial system is an unresolved question. Recent trends have seen a decline in disclosure requirements especially for small and privately held banks. To assess the consequences of such regulations, we investigate the relationship between the transparency of loan loss provision disclosures and the provisioning practices of privately held banks. We study a unique change in disclosure regulation under German banking law which introduces mandatory disclosures of loan loss provisions. Using proprietary data provided by the national supervisor, we are able to observe provisioning practices before and after disclosure becomes mandatory. Our findings suggest that bank managers use loan loss provisions to a lesser extent for income smoothing once they are required to disclose their accounting choice. At the same time, provisions become timelier and loan portfolio quality improves. The change comes in the absence of capital market pressure and highlights the role of depositors and public pressure in the monitoring and disciplining of bank managers. Overall, these findings support the view that bank transparency helps establish financial stability.

Banking Transparency, Financial Information and Liquidity Risk Management: Case of Saudi Banks

The article aims to assess the impact of banking transparency on liquidity risk. To do so, we first test the determinants of Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) as well as ensure the resilience of the Saudi banking system over the period from 2014 to 2021. Using System GMM with bank-specific and macroeconomic variables, results show that capital adequacy ratio, SIZE, GDP growth as well as past LCR levels significantly influence the LCR.  Secondly, we adopt the Panel Vector Auto Regression (PVAR) approach to assess the response of the LCR to various shocks. Impulse Response Functions (IRF) and variance decomposition demonstrate that the shocks to past LCR, AQ, CAR and GDP increase future liquidity risk. Thirdly, we prove that Saudi banks implement less than 50% of the transparency dimensions. They mainly disclose financial information and information on information credibility. Barely 18% of information on non-financial components of banking activity is made available to the public. Information on liquidity risk and on the timeliness of information is not available either in annual reports or on the bank's website. On average, the banks in the sample do not give importance to the publication of reports. These results may undermine the effectiveness of the guidelines of the Basel Committee agreements to reduce risk-taking by Saudi banks.

COMMUNICATION OF THE CENTRAL BANK AS A DETERMINANT OF THE CREDIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MONETARY POLICY ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

The aim of the undertaken research is an attempt to explain, on theoretical and empirical grounds, the interdependence between central bank communication, its transparency credibility and,consequently, the effectiveness of monetary policy pursued by central banks. The study used research methods based on the literature analysis on the subject in the field of banking and finance, as well as statistical and econometric methods (Granger causality analysis and the generalised linear model – GLM). Literature studies are aimed at answering the question of what is the relationship between the transparency, credibility of the central bank and the effectiveness of monetary policy in theoretical terms. However, the empirical research studies aim to confirm the hypothesis (H0) or reject the hypothesis (H1) about the causal relationships between the variables mentioned. Empirical analyses were conducted on the example of the European Central Bank, which, from the point of view of its monetary policy, is characterised by relatively high efficiency, relatively effectively stabilising inflation in the monetary union. All statistics used in the study were taken from databases of the International Monetary Fund (IMF World Economic Outlook), the European Union statistical office (Eurostat) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (OECD Data). The analysis covers the period from 2010 to 2022 based on monthly data. The results of the research confirmed the existence of the null hypothesis (i.e., the significant impact of communication, transparency and credibility of the European Central Bank on the effectiveness of monetary policy in the Euro area). The results of the conducted research may be a starting point for further, more in-depth research on the relationship between communication, transparency, credibility and effectiveness of central banks in countries with different levels of economic development.

Is central bank news good news for loan interest rates volatility?

We develop a theoretical framework revealing a negative relationship between the volatility of loan interest rates and central bank transparency. Empirical analysis of G-7 economies supports this theoretical prediction. Additionally, this relationship is strengthening under tight macroprudential regulations.

Penerapan Algoritma K-Means Clustering untuk Daerah Penyebaran Sampah Kelurahan

Waste in Indonesia, especially in Magelang City, has become a serious problem due to rapid population growth. Waste management issues, including landfills and collection, need effective handling. Data mining methods, such as K-Means clustering, can help identify areas with the highest levels of waste generation. This approach provides insights for the development of a more focused and efficient waste management strategy, a significant contribution to the improvement of Magelang City. By identifying the areas with the highest waste generation, waste management measures can be directed more efficiently and effectively. This includes increasing the transparency, capacity, and role of waste banks, as well as other efforts to reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment and human health. After clustering, the waste in Magelang City was grouped into 3 clusters according to the supplier area and the volume of waste. Then after the evaluation stage with the silhouette score displays a value of 0.79 which is a good value because it is close to the value of 1.0. With this method, it is expected that the city government in handling waste in Magelang city can be done optimally, efficiently, and on target

Institutional investors’ horizons and bank transparency

AbstractWe examine the relation between institutional investors’ horizons and bank transparency. The novelty of this research is to consider three important aspects of transparency: disclosure quality, private information gathering and auditor fees. We find strong evidence indicating that banks dominated by long‐term (short‐term [ST]) institutional shareholders exhibit higher (lower) levels of disclosure quality. However, there is no evidence that investor horizon has a differential effect on private information gathering and audit pricing. The study employs alternative proxies and estimations such as two‐stage least squares and propensity score matching to address endogeneity. We also document that banks with higher ST institutional shareholding are associated with lower crash risk. These findings are particularly significant because poor bank transparency has been identified as a contributing factor to the 2007–2009 financial crisis.

Measuring monetary policy transparency in Uruguay

The adoption of inflation-targeting regimes has led central banks to devote considerable efforts to improve their transparency. Following this trend, several authors have developed tools to measure and compare the levels of transparency of central banks. This paper undertakes this task for the Central Bank of Uruguay by applying two different transparency indexes. The first one was designed in the mid-2000s and has been applied in a sample with a significant number of countries. The second index is based on a new approach that seeks to reflect the best practices of the most advanced inflation-forecast-targeting regimes.