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Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
n consideration to definition and underlying concepts under English Common Law, Banks are typically financial institutions and intermediary that accepts deposits and uses the collected deposits to finance lending activities1 although the definition itself is elaborated for several legal sectors without an all-encompassing terminology.2 These lending activities may either be made directly through the deposits or indirectly through after the unison formation of the capital market and its usage. A bank establishes an economical connection in-between individuals with capital deficits and detriments and individuals with visible surpluses. There are segmented categories on how different banking tiers i.e. central banks and commercial banks can have an impact on financial life of a nation which is given below with a brief overview on how they could affect finance and economy.
Central Bank
Responsible For
Issuance Of Bank Notes Creation Of Monetary Policies Conducting Monetary Exchange Credit Allocation For National Development
Directs Toward
Monitor
Accelerates Capital Formation Monetize Economy Implements Policies Develops Industries & Sectors Creates Money Empowers Credit Regional Development
Execution
Commercial Bank
Affects
Affects
Growth/Decline
Figure: Central & Commercial Banks Impact On Finance & Economy
093 0931 030
1 2
See United Dominions Trust Ltd v Kirkwood, 1966, English Court of Appeal, 2 QB 431 Common law / The Anglo-Saxon legal system based on judi-cial precedents, customs and traditions. See, for example,Chovancov, Katarina: Vylenie psobnosti Arbitration Act1996 v bankovch verovch zmluvch (Excluding applicationof the Arbitration Act 1996 in bank credit agreements); publis-hed in Legal View, 86, 2003, no. 5, pp. 521-530.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
See Epstein, G. (2006) Central Banks As Agents Of Economic Development, United Nation University, World Institute For Economic Development Research, Katajanokanlaituri 6 B, 00160 Helsinki, Finland. p.1 4 See The accord was originally meant to apply only to internationally active banks leaving national authorities the freedom to set stricter standards as they might see fit (BIS 1988, p. 2), however most countries adopted the Basel I framework for both national and international credit institutions. 5 See Hoggson, N. F. (1926) Banking Through the Ages, New York, Dodd, Mead & Company. 6 See Goldthwaite, R. A. (1995) Banks, Places and Entrepreneurs in Renaissance Florence, Aldershot, Hampshire, Great Britain, Variorum. 7 See Boland, Vincent (13/14 June 2009). "Modern dilemmas for world's oldest bank". Financial Times. p. 9.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
Aiming at Financial Development
2013
Financial development is a broad terminology typically meaning a welldefined, well-functioning and developed financial sector which facilitates the exchange of goods and services, incorporate effective allocation of resources and mobilization of savings and assists in the diversification of risks as relevant variables.8 Emerging economies has traditionally demonstrated embryonic financial systems which are made of subsidiaries stationed by foreign banks provisioned to pursue foreign trade financing and a very limited number of local activities apart from government banks like the central bank which is the overbearing authority.9 It is often seen that local private banks were created to fill gaps left by a highly saturated and subsidized financial sector which is an indicator of an unstable and desperate financial sector. In many countries, financing of priority sector and its subsequent economic development was triggered by selective credit policies. Avertedly, financial development in terms of promoting investment in capital formation, trade and industry; monetization of policies and credit regulatory control; and finally, influencing financial, economic, agriculture and balanced development in both sectors and sub-sectors are guiding phenomena in current banks.10 In short, banks trigger economic and financial development by,
Banking Mechanics
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Issuance Of Bank Notes Netting & Settlement Payments Credit Intermediation Credit Quality Improvement Maturity Transformation Money Creation
See King, Robert. G. and R. Levine (1993), Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, August, 717-737. 9 See Rajan, R.G. and L. Zingales (2003), Saving Capitalism from Capitalists, Crown Business, New York. 10 See World Bank (2006), World Development Indicators, Washington. pp 2-3.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
Banks are considered as agents that guides financial/economic development of a nation. The term agent, in this context means that banks try to center themselves to promote development.11 The typology of banks also plays as financial indicators with two-tiered banking system i.e. central banks and commercial banks. Banks, as agents of development, serves as an agent that strove to create a context of macroeconomic stability in terms of financial stability through financial regulations and governing control. The actual aptitude of banks in the dynamics of the financial life of a nation is multifold with the specific attributes of development segregated in differential banking systems and nature of the financial institutions.12
The combat mechanics of central banking are currently clustered around inflation targeting and interest rates in the indirect monetary policy are shortterm as opposed to direct mechanics traditionally been used in central banking systems such like credit ceiling.14 It is a direct result of the highly notorious US debt ceiling crisis experienced in 2009 which lead banking sectors to argue neo-liberal approach to central banking in terms of packages which are highly idiosyncratic which is dramatically different from governing practices of traditionally dominant theory and practices used in central banking in both developed and developing economies.15 In the past and judging from existing data on central banking, US, England and Europe were involved in government financing, exchange rate management and strategic support to development and economic segments were done via using direct methods
11
See Caprio, Gerard Jr. and Patrick Honohan (2001). Monetary Policy Instruments for Developing Countries; A World Bank Symposium. Washington DC: World Bank. 12 See De Cecco, Marcello (1974). Money and Empire; The International Gold Standard, 1890-1914. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. 13 See Gerschenkron, Alexander (1962). Economic Backwardness in Historical Perspective. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, Belknap Press. 14 See Kindleberger, Charles (1996). World Economic Primacy, 1500-1990. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 15 See Maxfield, Sylvia (1997). Gatekeepers of Growth; The International Political Economy of Central Banking in Developing Countries. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
which was highly recognized as their sole determinant for existence. The newly introduced neo-liberal policy package is out of line to an arguably dynamism-resistant central banking practice done throughout history.16 Central Banks profusely influences the economic foundation of a given nation with its underlying functions.17 Major historic scholars identifies the functions that are attuned to the operant conditioning of central banks in countries which are, Unification & Issuance Of Bank Notes Acting As Governments Bank Acting As A Bank To Commercial Banks Serves As A Last Resort Lender For The Entire Financial System Implements Monetary Policies To Manage Foreign Exchange & PriceLevels Conducting Monetary Exchange To Manage Overall Level Of Economic Activity Credit Allocation In Promotion Of National Goals.
16
See Woflson, Martin (1993). The Evolution of the Financial System and the Possibilities of Reform, in Gary A Dymski, Gerald Epstein and Robert Pollin (eds) Transforming the US Financial System; Equity and Efficiency for the 21st Century. Washington DC: Economic Policy Institute, pp 133-55. 17 See Mankiw, N. Gregory (2002). "Chapter 18: Money Supply and Money Demand". Macroeconomics (5th ed.). Worth. pp. 482489
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
Linking Financial Impacts Initial Negative Impact
2013
Despite the impact on financial life, studies and perception are generalized to be negative on the techniques used to influence economic factors which lead to question the effectiveness of the techniques.18 Additionally, the perceived trade-off between the sustainability of financial and macro-economic stability and central banking policies of the given era is also considered to be a primary concern for nations.19
18
See Brimmer, Andrew F. (1971). Central Banking and Economic Development: The Record of Innovation, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 3(4): 780-92. 19 See Sylla, Richard, Richard Tilly and Gabriel Tortella (1999). The State, the Financial System and Economic Modernization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 20 See Amsden, Alice H. (2001). The Rise of The Rest; Challenges to the West from Late-
See Knodell, Jane. (2004). Central Banking in Early Industrialization, in Marc Lavoie and Mario Seccareccia, Central Banking in the Modern World; Alternative Perspectives. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, pp. 262-81.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
Their function specifically promotes them to be the reservoirs of resources which is a key necessity for economic development of a nation. It is to be mentioned that as an individual unit, a commercial bank has very lesser impact on finance and economy but on a collective whole or as a banking system which operates within a regional boundary; commercial banks tend to significantly impact economical and financial presets.22 From existing literature, industrial revolutions in currently developed countries were triggered due to potent commercial banking systems. In consideration of developing countries, commercial banks are considered as a foundation for economic development and is said to be so due to their contribution in regards to certain factors.23
See Chang, Ha-Joon and Ilene Grabel (2004). Reclaiming Development. London: Zed Press. See Worsley P. (1984), The Three Worlds: Culture and World Development. Weidenfeld en Nicolson, London. 24 See Epstein, Gerald (2003). Alternatives to Inflation Targeting Monetary Policy for Stable and Egalitarian Growth: A Brief Research Summary, www.umass.edu/peri. 25 See Kindleberger, Charles (1993). A Financial History of Western Europe, (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
Monetizes Economy
2013
A poor financial and economic condition is interrelated and characterized by the presence of largely non-monetized sectors of a nation. These sectors serve as significant barriers to development in terms of both finance and economy of a given nation. Commercial banks, in this regard, are highly involved in distribution of branches in operant positioning within nations hence such it enables backward regions to enjoy sound development via integrating its policies and promoting monetization process in the sub-economic levels.26 In short, commercial banks are coverts debts into money via the implementation of the given process.
Inducing Innovation
Innovations are largely funded by bank credits provided by commercial banks in developed countries whereas investment is profusely motivated.27 Enterprise in developing countries are is attributive to high risk for which entrepreneurs are demotivated to pursue innovations and invest in newer ventures due to lacking of large fund since innovation itself is characterized as expensive. To combat this dilemma, commercial banks provides the finance in terms of loans which allows prospective entrepreneurs to step-up and engages in innovational activities through investment which ultimately results in the adoption of methods that increase productivity and capacity in both economic and financial settings.28
26
See US Congress, Joint Economic Committee (1981). Monetary Policy, Selective Credit Policy and Industrial Policy in France, Britain, West Germany and Sweden. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 27 See Akhavein, J.D., A.N. Berger and D.B. Humphrey (1997), The effects of megamergers on efficiency an prices: evidence from a bank profit function, Review of Industrial Organization 12, 95 139. 28 See Benston, G.J., G.A. Hanweck, and D.B. Humphrey (1982), Scale economies in banking: a restructuring and reassessment, Journal of Money, Credit and Banking (14), 435-450. 29 See Berger, A. N., D. Hancock, and D.B. Humphrey (1993), Bank efficiency derived from the profit function, Journal of Banking and Finance 17, 317 -348.
Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
agency-levels by commercial banks hence it can be said that commercial banks directly interact with population elements30 to ensure the effectiveness and smooth integration of existing policies which, in turn, directly affects the financial formation and structure of a nation.
See Yeager, Leland B. (1976). International Monetary Relations; Theory, History and Policy , (2nd ed.). New York: Harper & Row. 31 See Stiglitz, Joseph (1990). Peer Monitoring and Credit Markets World Bank Economic Review 4 (3). 351-366. 32 See The Economist (2007). Economics Focus: Small Loans and Big Ambitions, The Economist, March 17, 2007. 33 See Gine, Xavier, and Dean Karlan (2008). Peer Monitoring and Enforecement: Long Term Evidence from Microcredit Lending Groups with and without Group Liability. January, Yale University Department of Economics, working paper. 34 See Conning, Jonathan and Christopher Udry (2007). Rural Financial Markets in Developing Countries. Chapter 15 of Handbook of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 3. Robert Evenson, Prabhu Pingali, and T. Paul Schultz (ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
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Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
underdeveloped countries and/or countries that have yet to realize efficient frontier35 in agriculture are not targeted by commercial banks in terms of agricultural development but rather the development of trade and commerce. In countries where agriculture is highly significant, commercial banks are observed to garner financial support in the form of credit to develop and modernize existing practices which leads to higher productivity and creation of employment and enterprise.
Regional Development
Development in too many fronts may even result in disruption of the financial system and shortages in the capital reserve.36 In addressing this issue, commercial banks tend to distribute the risks through its branches and focuses on regional development. Commercial banks transfer surpluses from developed and proficient regions to those that are lesser in development portrayed by a visible scarcity of resources.37 The reallocation of resources in the given context leads to segregated economic development of niche sectors of a nation although the practice of regional development is rare and are seldom seen in a few particular developing countries.
35
See Glaeser, Edward and Andrei Shleifer (2001). Not-for-profit Enterpreneurs Journal of Public Economics 81 (1): 99-115. 36 See Johnston, Don and Jonathan Morduch (2008). The Unbanked: Evidence from Indonesia. Presentation at World Bank Economic Review Symposium, March 15-16. 37 See World Bank (2007). Finance for All? Policies and Pitfalls in Expanding Access. World Bank Policy Research Report, August. Washington, DC: World Bank. 38 See James K. Jackson, Export-Import Bank: Background and Legislative Issues, Congressional Research Service Report for Congress 98-568E, January 19, 2001, p. 5.
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Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
this context, via indirect influence, commercial banks contribute to both a positive and negative impact on the process of economic development.39
Financing in the wrong and predictably inefficient segments of a nation can lead to misallocation of resources and credit rationing.42 Paired with the forecast errors and inefficient frontiers, banks are often characterized with inadequate banking supervision at the peak administrative levels and policy determination leading it to portray non-performing loans and undercapitalized banks.
In the event of economic deterioration, banks also plays a pivotal role as is gathered from existing statistics from recessionary periods and, in rare cases, full-fledged depression resulting in higher unemployment, turnover, fall of stock prices, unfavorable interest rates and/or uncontrollable economic inflation and deflation although all these negative impacts are specific to regions on which banking systems are similar and are further influenced by political and other unforeseen variables.
39
See Lester B. Pearson, Partners in Development: Report of the Commission on International Development (NewYork: Praeger, 1969), quoted in Patricia Adams, Odious Debts (Toronto: Earthscan, 1991), pp. 845. 40 See Zysman, John (1983). Governments, Markets and Growth. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 41 See Microbanking Bulletin (2005). Trend Lines, Issue 10, No. 5, March. 42 See Levine, R. and S. Zervous (1998), Stock Markets, Banks and Economic Growth, American Economic Review, Vol.88, pp 537-58.
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Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
Although banks are portrayed as technical tools to the government which engages in the elaborate maintenance of finance and economy in macro, meso and micro level factors, banks, in itself, is a financial institution that are largely for-profit in nature. In short, rather than aiming at continuous development, banks play a cameo role in finance and development with their own agenda being the increment of profits in a banking business. Newer forms of banks have risen recently that actively opposes this concept with the origination of community development banks and microcredit systems.
43
See Yunus, Muhammed. 2007. Remarks by Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director, Grameen Bank. Microcredit Summit E-News, Volume 5, No. 1, July 2007. 44 See Rutherford, Stuart (2006). Uses and users of MFI loans in Bangladesh, MicroSave Briefing Notes on Grameen II, Number 7. 45 See Connie Bruck, Millions for Millions, The New Yorker, October 30, 2006.
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Section I
Banks
Its Role In The Financial Life Of A Nation
2013
Although banks are portrayed as technical tools to the government which engages in the elaborate maintenance of cash creation, inflow and quality of credit improvement, its presence has a far deeper meaning in the contextual basis of a country. In terms of the general hypothesis of how banks contributes to the financial life of a nation, it can be safely assumed that the evolution of banks from its primordial functions to the present day is strictly due to the emerging needs and dynamics of humanity so as to serve economical and societal needs in order to garner profits in general.
Banks, as a financial institution and intermediary, has to fulfill policies that directly affects economic growth and underlines a stream of improvement in the financial life of a nation. Conditional to the improvement of financial life, the factor itself is consisted with several sub-factors which are highly difficult to determine and may even result in pseudo butterfly effects. Reaching for a more stable and affirmative financial condition of a country in the age of globalization, banks faces significant difficulties from foreign policies, internal political conflicts, unfavorable cultural dimensions that are different in each subsequent nation and finally, regulatory control of the law that banks have to abide by that may have the potential to restrict banks development potential towards the economy as well as a safeguard to disable banks from economic disruption. There are numerous examples of how banks have triggered economic depression via their policies and practices alone whereas those examples were out-classed by how banks saved volatile economies of underdeveloped, developing and developed nations from the brink of financial extinction. All in all, banks have an enormous impact on the financial life of a nation and has far reaching effect on other financial systems external to any specific country.
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