Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World

This paper introduces a new global database and a policy classification framework that records the financial sector policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic across 154 jurisdictions. It documents that authorities around the world have taken a diver...

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Main Authors: Feyen, Erik, Alonso Gispert, Tatiana, Kliatskova, Tatsiana, Mare, Davide S.
Format: Working Paper
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/143061607958551050/Taking-Stock-of-the-Financial-Sector-Policy-Response-to-COVID-19-around-the-World
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34941
id okr-10986-34941
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-349412022-09-20T00:10:02Z Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World Feyen, Erik Alonso Gispert, Tatiana Kliatskova, Tatsiana Mare, Davide S. FINANCIAL REGULATION FINANCIAL STABILITY CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 GOVERNMENT POLICY PANDEMIC RESPONSE This paper introduces a new global database and a policy classification framework that records the financial sector policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic across 154 jurisdictions. It documents that authorities around the world have taken a diverse array of measures to mitigate financial distress in markets and for borrowers, and to support the provision of critical financial services to the real economy. Measures that focus on the banking sector constitute the majority of policies taken and aim to take advantage of the flexibility embedded in the international standards. However, emerging markets and developing economies tend to rely more on prudential measures that go beyond this embedded flexibility compared with advanced economies, which may reduce bank balance sheet transparency and increase risks. Using Cox proportional hazards and Poisson regressions, the paper takes initial steps to analyze the determinants of policy makers’ responsiveness and activity in emerging markets and developing economies, respectively. The results indicate that policy makers have typically been significantly more responsive and have taken more policy measures in emerging markets and developing economies that are richer and more populous. Countries with higher private debt levels tend to respond earlier with banking sector and liquidity and funding measures. The spread of COVID-19, macro-financial fundamentals, and fiscal and containment policies appear to play a limited role. In a substantially smaller sample, the paper explores the role of banking characteristics and finds that emerging markets and developing economies with higher private credit levels and that have adopted Basel III features have taken fewer policy measures. Future work is necessary for better understanding the country determinants of the policy response as well as the effectiveness and potential unintended consequences of the measures. 2020-12-17T15:20:49Z 2020-12-17T15:20:49Z 2020-12 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/143061607958551050/Taking-Stock-of-the-Financial-Sector-Policy-Response-to-COVID-19-around-the-World http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34941 English Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9497 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic FINANCIAL REGULATION
FINANCIAL STABILITY
CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19
GOVERNMENT POLICY
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
spellingShingle FINANCIAL REGULATION
FINANCIAL STABILITY
CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19
GOVERNMENT POLICY
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
Feyen, Erik
Alonso Gispert, Tatiana
Kliatskova, Tatsiana
Mare, Davide S.
Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9497
description This paper introduces a new global database and a policy classification framework that records the financial sector policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic across 154 jurisdictions. It documents that authorities around the world have taken a diverse array of measures to mitigate financial distress in markets and for borrowers, and to support the provision of critical financial services to the real economy. Measures that focus on the banking sector constitute the majority of policies taken and aim to take advantage of the flexibility embedded in the international standards. However, emerging markets and developing economies tend to rely more on prudential measures that go beyond this embedded flexibility compared with advanced economies, which may reduce bank balance sheet transparency and increase risks. Using Cox proportional hazards and Poisson regressions, the paper takes initial steps to analyze the determinants of policy makers’ responsiveness and activity in emerging markets and developing economies, respectively. The results indicate that policy makers have typically been significantly more responsive and have taken more policy measures in emerging markets and developing economies that are richer and more populous. Countries with higher private debt levels tend to respond earlier with banking sector and liquidity and funding measures. The spread of COVID-19, macro-financial fundamentals, and fiscal and containment policies appear to play a limited role. In a substantially smaller sample, the paper explores the role of banking characteristics and finds that emerging markets and developing economies with higher private credit levels and that have adopted Basel III features have taken fewer policy measures. Future work is necessary for better understanding the country determinants of the policy response as well as the effectiveness and potential unintended consequences of the measures.
format Working Paper
author Feyen, Erik
Alonso Gispert, Tatiana
Kliatskova, Tatsiana
Mare, Davide S.
author_facet Feyen, Erik
Alonso Gispert, Tatiana
Kliatskova, Tatsiana
Mare, Davide S.
author_sort Feyen, Erik
title Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World
title_short Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World
title_full Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World
title_fullStr Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World
title_full_unstemmed Taking Stock of the Financial Sector Policy Response to COVID-19 around the World
title_sort taking stock of the financial sector policy response to covid-19 around the world
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2020
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/143061607958551050/Taking-Stock-of-the-Financial-Sector-Policy-Response-to-COVID-19-around-the-World
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34941
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