Firms in many countries, especially in Europe, are heavily dependent on banks to finance investment, and so allocating credit to its best use is a major function of the banking sector. By terminating credit lines…

The promise of radical changes arising from cryptocurrencies and an array of new technologies in financial markets (fintech) has been met with excitement but also a good dose of scepticism. This eBook brings together contributions from members…

Population ageing is likely to affect many areas of life, from pension system sustainability to housing markets. This column shows that monetary policy can be considered another victim. Low fertility rates and increasing life expectancy…

With nominal short-term interest rates close to their effective lower bound, monetary policies partly operate through changing the inflation expectations. This column analyses the causal effect of inflation expectations on firms’ economic decisions in Italy.…