Comparative in structure and covering an extensive number of transition countries in its survey, this comprehensive book overviews the development of the banking systems in Central and Eastern European since the communist era until the present time.Taking in a range of countries including Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania

The manuscript covers the complex issues of the banking systems in Central and Eastern Europe during the crisis period and the institutional and legal reforms adopted in the banking area in the last years. The book is structured in three parts. Part I presents the structure of the banking systems in the Central and Eastern Europe area. Part II covers the developments of the banking systems in this area during the crisis. Part III presents the reform of the regulations in the banking area as a result of the crisis.

Covers the different ways in which financial systems have changed and been developed in Central and Eastern Europe during the recent upheavals and collapse of communism. Banking is examined in the protomarket period; for independence in the transitional economies; and in liberalization.

This collection of essays, written by former bankers, practising central bankers, government advisers and historians, celebrates the seventieth anniversary of the National Bank of Hungary. From a range of view points, the contributions consider the monetary and financial history of the past century and, in particular, explore possible parallelisms between experiences of the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1918 and of contemporary changes since 1989. The first part, comprising four essays, concentrates upon central banking, especially the development of the National Bank of Hungary since 1878 and the establishment of the Bank of Poland. Commercial banking is the theme of Part II, where continuities and discontinuities are considered with respect to Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Slovenia and Yugoslavia.

Financial industries in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe have undergone dramatic changes over the past decade. Foreign direct investment contributed to the development of market-oriented banking and financial systems able to support the rapid pace of economic growth in these countries. Policymakers, academics and private sector analysts have contributed to this volume with their stimulating insights on a broad range of issues, from recent credit booms to the cross-border integration of banking and capital markets. Anyone who wants to understand how finance, growth and financial stability interact in transition economies should read this book. Mario Draghi, Governor of the Banca d Italia and Chairman of the Financial Stability Forum This book highlights the achievements and challenges of the ongoing process of financial integration in Europe. The financial integration of Europe is both welcomed as an economic driving force and watched with concern as a source of potential stability. After all, changing financial, regulatory and corporate ownership structures are fuelling competition, capital mobility and financial intermediation, but at the same time creating new systemic risks. With a special focus on Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, the contributors to this book explore a wide spectrum of underlying issues, including the finance-growth nexus, credit boom patterns, the implications of foreign bank entry modes, lessons learned from old EU member states and commercial bank strategies. Authoritative views from central bank officials and policymakers are complemented with a special focus on empirical and econometric evidence from academia as well as practical insights from key financial market players. This unique collection will be of great interest to economists and experts in the fields of financial markets and European integration from central, commercial and investment banks, governments, international organizations, universities and research institutes.

This report assesses banking developments in Central and Eastern Europe and identifies the critical policy choices that will determine whether a country is to follow a high growth path leading to convergence with the mainstream of Western Europe.

At the beginning of the transition process, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe faced the task of creating a functioning financial system where none had existed before. A decade later, high-level practitioners and well-known experts take stock of banking and monetary policy in the region, centring on: the governance of banks; the spread of financial crisis; and, perspectives for monetary policy and banking sector development.

This book charts the process of financial market reform in Central and Eastern Europe. Topics discussed will include the implications of future EU membership, and the strategies pursued by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The contributors to this volume confront the main requirements placed on Central and East European financial systems during the transition to a market economy. Researchers have a unique opportunity to engage in comparative analysis, as different countries are approaching the building of their banking systems in very different ways. The 'first wave' of Central European reformers looked to the West for a model of how to transform their state-controlled banking systems so as to make them suitable for the needs of the market. These reforms, though far from complete, are now sufficiently advanced for lessons to be drawn from them by the reformers in the former Soviet Union and Balkans. Here leading practitioners and financial advisers analyze the Central European experience and consider its implications for the 'second wave' of reformers.

This book examines recent evidence--which essentially began to appear in 1993--related to the development of financial sectors within Central Europe's economies. These systems are currently in transition, each making closely-watched moves toward a market economy.