'The Handbook is especially recommended to MBA students and faculty and belongs in the reference collections of academic and research libraries. Although each chapter may serve as a self-contained unit, readers will want to look at the larger picture by comparing and contrasting articles found in each part of the work. It should prove to be a helpful source for those studying international banking, economics and finance, and international business.' – Lucy Heckman, American Reference Books Annual 2004 The Handbook of International Banking provides a clearly accessible source of reference material, covering the main developments that reveal how the internationalization and globalization of banking have developed over recent decades to the present, and analyses the creation of a new global financial architecture. The Handbook is the first of its kind in the area of international banking with contributions from leading specialists in their respective fields, often with remarkable experience in academia or professional practice. The material is provided mainly in the form of self-contained surveys, which trace the main developments in a well-defined topic, together with specific references to journal articles and working papers. Some contributions, however, disseminate new empirical findings especially where competing paradigms are evaluated. The Handbook is divided into four areas of interest. The first deals with the globalization of banking and continues on to banking structures and functions. The authors then focus on banking risks, crises and regulation and finally the evolving international financial architecture. Designed to serve as a source of supplementary reading and inspiration, the Handbook is suited to a range of courses in banking and finance including post-experience and in-house programmes for bankers and other financial services practitioners. This outstanding volume will become essential reference for policymakers, financial practitioners as well as academics and researchers in the field.

Raymond Mikesell and Lawrence Williams argue that even though development banks have made some commendable progress--especially in the past several years--there is still much left to be done. It is imperative that MDB's learn to fund irrigation projects that increase agricultural output without damaging the soil or polluting waterways, and support forest projects that will use resources productively without destroying ecosystems or indigenous cultures. Multilateral banks can improve their performance--and the public can press them toward reform--by learning from both the satisfactory and unsatisfactory operations of the past. Mikesell and Williams review in detail the ecological and human consequences of projects supported by development banks over the past three decades. They analyze the problems associated with agricultural projects, forestry programs, and development initiatives for mining, livestock, power, and infrastructure.

The recent financial crisis has stimulated much debate on the governance of financial institutions, as well as research on the effects of governance arrangements on risk-taking, performance and financial institutions more generally. Furthermore, researchers are asking how regulation, legislation, politics and other factors influence the governance of financial institutions and their behavior in different dimensions. The specially commissioned contributions featured in this timely Handbook confront these complex issues. The contributors – top international scholars from finance, law and business – explore the role of governance, both internal and external, in explaining risk-taking and other aspects of the behavior of financial institutions. Additionally, they discuss market and policy features affecting objectives and quality of governance. The chapters provide in-depth analysis of factors such as: ownership, efficiency and stability; market discipline; compensation and performance; social responsibility; and governance in non-bank financial institutions. Only through this kind of rigorous examination can one hope to implement the financial reforms necessary and sufficient to reduce the likelihood and severity of future crises. Bringing the reader to the frontier of research on governance of financial institutions, this volume is sure to inspire future research in scholars and students of financial institutions, governance and banking as well as all those involved with private financial institutions and public regulatory and supervisory authorities.

The book argues that a successful monetary and banking reform requires: a rollback of monetary nationalism and return to monetary internationalism; trust in the banking system with its basic functions restored; a balance between competition and solidarity in order to assure political and social acceptance of globalization.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date examination of the functions that international banks perform and the environment under which they operate.The dynamic nature of the international banking environment requires researchers in the field to develop skills that allow them to i) understand the fundamentals of international banking and ii) effectively identify current challenges and opportunities. In this regard, this book helps to cultivate a deep understanding of modern international banking and finance.Part 1: The Fundamentals of International Banking presents the examinations of core international banking functions. The topics covered are the functions and types of international banking; the internationalisation of the US, Japanese and Chinese banks; international trade finance; the interbank foreign exchange and eurocurrency markets; and international loan syndication. Part 2: International Financial Crises and Secret Money builds on the discussions in the first part to help readers understand the implications for international banks of international banking and sovereign debt crises, financial secrecy and international money laundering.Suk-Joong Kim is Professor of International Finance and Banking at the University of Sydney Business School, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are increasingly expected to address environmental issues in their economic development lending. Yet the banks have been accused of failing to implement their own environmental policies, thereby contributing to environmental degradation in borrowing countries. In this book Tamar Gutner analyzes the environmental policies of three MDBs: the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank. She compares their performance in Central and Eastern Europe, where the need for economic and environmental reform has been particularly urgent, and where these MDBs are among the largest donors. Gutner finds many obstacles to efforts to "green" the three banks, most notably a mismatch between the environmental mandates and existing patterns of institutional design and incentives. The depth and scope of the banks' green activities reflect the degree of shareholder commitment to environmental issues and how demand-driven the MDB is designed to be. Surprisingly, the World Bank, the most scrutinized and criticized of the three MDBs, has been rather more responsive than its counterparts to its environmental mandate in the region. The discussion is framed by larger explorations of the behavior of international organizations and the sources of their innovation and inertia in addressing new policy issues. Gutner demonstrates the need to examine the impact of different stages of the policy process on new mandates and to incorporate both political and institutional variables when developing theories about the behavior of international institutions.

The development of international financial centers (IFCs) has paralleled the rapid expansion of international banking and Eurocurrency activities. During the past decade and a half, the international banking and financial markets have experienced phenomenal growth along with the parallel expansion of IFCs. The size of the Eurocurrency market grew from $110 billion in 1970 to over $4,000 billion by 1987, while the total international assets of all banking institutions rose from $130 billion to $4,800 billion during the same period. Some of the preeminent IFCs are playing a major role in the international financial markets, as demonstrated by the size of their international assets: Bahamas ($144 billion), Cayman Islands ($174 billion), Singapore ($150 billion), Hong Kong ($130 billion), Bahrain ($46 billion), and Panama ($32 billion). The patterns of Euroborrowing and Eurolending activities in these IFCs have been undergoing major changes. These changes came about as a result of the introduction of the floating exchange rate system in 1973, recent financial deregulation, internationalization of the financial markets, securitization of financial assets and liabilities, and global financial innovations. Since the pioneering work of Kindleberger in 1974 on the formation of financial centers, there has not been a comprehensive study to reflect the recent developments, trends and the mystique that have surrounded the IFCs' functions and operations in the international money and capital markets.

This volume examines issues concerning the challenges and opportunities for international banks in the rapidly changing global environment. It looks at financial markets and banking, examines the role of banks and lawyers in the global financial crisis, explores post-crisis financial regulation, and highlights determinants of international banking.