IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/iburev/v16y2007i4p507-525.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Choice of scale by banks in financial centers

Author

Listed:
  • Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim

Abstract

The paper develops a theoretical link between foreign investment, scale and reversibility in the banking industry. This link is used to formulate hypotheses that are empirically examined with a unique data set collected through interviews with senior managers of multinational banks in London. Findings reveal that banks do not set up large operations to service domestic customers or get a foothold, but do so to create hubs. Banks with confident beliefs set up large operations, and use large offices to lock themselves into the market. These results explain the cross-sectional variation in the size of foreign investments in the industry. Robustness checks do not reveal presence of influential data points; regressions are stable over time and consistent with what we know from secondary samples.

Suggested Citation

  • Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim, 2007. "Choice of scale by banks in financial centers," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 507-525, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:16:y:2007:i:4:p:507-525
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969593107000546
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gordon L. Clark, 2002. "London in the European financial services industry: locational advantage and product complementarities," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(4), pages 433-453, October.
    2. Barry Williams, 1997. "Positive Theories of Multinational Banking: Eclectic Theory Versus Internalisation Theory," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(1), pages 71-100, March.
    3. Rhoades, Stephen A., 1998. "The efficiency effects of bank mergers: An overview of case studies of nine mergers," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 273-291, March.
    4. Lilach Nachum, 2003. "Liability of foreignness in global competition? Financial service affiliates in the city of London," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(12), pages 1187-1208, December.
    5. Benston, George J & Smith, Clifford W, Jr, 1976. "A Transactions Cost Approach to the Theory of Financial Intermediation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 31(2), pages 215-231, May.
    6. Brealey, R. A. & Kaplanis, E. C., 1996. "The determination of foreign banking location," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 577-597, August.
    7. Sang-Rim Choi & Adrian Tschoegl & Chwo-Ming Yu, 1986. "Banks and the world’s major financial centers, 1970–1980," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 122(1), pages 48-64, March.
    8. Douglas W. Diamond & Philip H. Dybvig, 2000. "Bank runs, deposit insurance, and liquidity," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, vol. 24(Win), pages 14-23.
    9. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    10. Yamori, Nobuyoshi, 1998. "A note on the location choice of multinational banks: The case of Japanese financial institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 109-120, January.
    11. Douglas W. Diamond, 1984. "Financial Intermediation and Delegated Monitoring," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 51(3), pages 393-414.
    12. Campbell, Tim S & Kracaw, William A, 1980. "Information Production, Market Signalling, and the Theory of Financial Intermediation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 35(4), pages 863-882, September.
    13. Ball, Clifford A. & Tschoegl, Adrian E., 1982. "The Decision to Establish a Foreign Bank Branch or Subsidiary: An Application of Binary Classification Procedures," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(3), pages 411-424, September.
    14. Ursacki, Terry & Vertinsky, Ilan, 1992. "Choice of entry timing and scale by foreign banks in Japan and Korea," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 405-421, April.
    15. Heinkel, Robert L. & Levi, Maurice D., 1992. "The structure of international banking," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 251-272, June.
    16. Hultman, Charles W. & Randolph McGee, L., 1989. "Factors affecting the foreign banking presence in the U.S," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 383-396, July.
    17. Cabral Luis M. B., 1993. "Experience Advantages and Entry Dynamics," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 59(2), pages 403-416, April.
    18. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 2010. "Models of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Multinational Enterprise Revisited, chapter 7, pages 147-176, Palgrave Macmillan.
    19. Robert Z. Aliber, 1976. "Towards a theory of international banking," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue Spr, pages 5-8.
    20. Goldberg, Lawrence G. & Saunders, Anthony, 1981. "The determinants of foreign banking activity in the United States," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 17-32, March.
    21. Focarelli, Dario & Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2001. "The patterns of cross-border bank mergers and shareholdings in OECD countries," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2305-2337, December.
    22. Mitchell Berlin, 1987. "Bank loans and marketable securities: how do financial contracts control borrowing firms?," Business Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, issue Jul, pages 9-18.
    23. Gabriel R. G. Benito, 2005. "Divestment and international business strategy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 235-251, April.
    24. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 1991. "The Future of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-1-349-21204-0.
    25. Goldberg, Lawrence G & Saunders, Anthony, 1980. "The Causes of U.S. Bank Expansion Overseas: The Case of Great Britain," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 12(4), pages 630-643, November.
    26. Aliber, Robert Z, 1984. "International Banking: A Survey," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 16(4), pages 661-678, November.
    27. Mark Casson, 2000. "Economics of International Business," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2063.
    28. Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R., 2001. "The theory and practice of corporate finance: evidence from the field," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2-3), pages 187-243, May.
    29. Grosse, Robert & Goldberg, Lawrence G., 1991. "Foreign bank activity in the United States: An analysis by country of origin," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 1093-1112, December.
    30. Kogut, Bruce & Chang, Sea Jin, 1996. "Platform Investments and Volatility Exchange Rates: Direct Investment in the U.S. by Japanese Electronic Companies," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 78(2), pages 221-231, May.
    31. John H Dunning, 1988. "The Eclectic Paradigm of International Production: A Restatement and Some Possible Extensions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-31, March.
    32. Esperanca, Jose Paulo & Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim, 2001. "(Re)Testing the 'follow the customer' hypothesis in multinational bank expansion," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 281-293, July.
    33. Campa, Joe Manuel, 1993. "Entry by Foreign Firms in the United States under Exchange Rate Uncertainty," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 75(4), pages 614-622, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sang Rim Choi & Daekeun Park & Adrian E. Tschoegl, 2016. "Banks and the World’s Major Banking Centers, 2010," Global Economy Journal (GEJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(2), pages 275-291, June.
    2. Xiaohui Yuan & Jiayan Yan, 2022. "Reverse Efficiency Spillovers from Host Country Banks to Foreign Banks: Evidence from Emerging Market Bank Subsidiaries in Developed Markets," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 62(6), pages 915-946, December.
    3. Ekman, Peter & Hadjikhani, Annoch Isa & Pajuvirta, Andreas & Thilenius, Peter, 2014. "Tit for tat and big steps: The case of Swedish banks’ internationalization 1961–2010," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1049-1063.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Clare, Andrew & Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim & Pinheiro, Carlos, 2013. "What factors cause foreign banks to stay in London?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 739-761.
    2. Mutinelli, Marco & Piscitello, Lucia, 2001. "Foreign direct investment in the banking sector: the case of Italian banks in the '90s," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 10(6), pages 661-685, December.
    3. Alicia Garcia-Herrero & Daniel Navia Simon, 2006. "Why Banks go to Emerging Countries and What is the Impact for the Home Economy? A Survey," Working Papers 0602, BBVA Bank, Economic Research Department.
    4. Focarelli, Dario & Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2001. "The patterns of cross-border bank mergers and shareholdings in OECD countries," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2305-2337, December.
    5. Magri, Silvia & Mori, Alessandra & Rossi, Paola, 2005. "The entry and the activity level of foreign banks in Italy: An analysis of the determinants," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 1295-1310, May.
    6. Alberto Franco Pozzolo, 2009. "Bank Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: Causes, Consequences, and Recent Trends," Springer Books, in: Alberto Zazzaro & Michele Fratianni & Pietro Alessandrini (ed.), The Changing Geography of Banking and Finance, edition 1, chapter 0, pages 155-183, Springer.
    7. Annick Pamen Nyola & Alain Sauviat & Amine Tarazi, 2022. "How does regulation affect the organizational form of foreign banks' presence in developing versus developed countries?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 2367-2419, April.
    8. Köhler, Matthias, 2008. "Transparency of Regulation and Cross-Border Bank Mergers," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-009, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    9. Annick Pamen Nyola & Alain Sauviat & Amine Tarazi, 2017. "How Does Regulation Affect the Organizational Form of Banks' Presence in Developing and Developed Countries?," Working Papers hal-01369658, HAL.
    10. Josep Garcia Blandón, 1998. "The choice of the form of representation in multinational banking: Evidence from Spain," Economics Working Papers 271, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    11. Minh To, Huong & Tripe, David, 2002. "Factors influencing the performance of foreign-owned banks in New Zealand," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 12(4-5), pages 341-357.
    12. Dario Focarelli & Alberto Franco Pozzolo, 2005. "Where Do Banks Expand Abroad? An Empirical Analysis," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(6), pages 2435-2464, November.
    13. Fung, Justin G. & Bain, Elisa A. & Onto, John G. & Harper, Ian R., 2002. "A decade of internationalization: the experience of an Australian retail bank," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 12(4-5), pages 399-417.
    14. Focarelli, Dario & Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2008. "Cross-border M&As in the financial sector: Is banking different from insurance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 15-29, January.
    15. Jean-Marie Bassouamina, 1999. "Les déterminants de la présence bancaire étrangère en France," Revue d'Économie Financière, Programme National Persée, vol. 55(5), pages 99-111.
    16. Engwall, Lars & Marquardt, Rolf & Pedersen, Torben & Tschoegl, Adrian E., 2001. "Foreign bank penetration of newly opened markets in the Nordic countries," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 53-63, March.
    17. Claudia M. Buch & John C. Driscoll & Charlotte Ostergaard, 2010. "Cross‐Border Diversification in Bank Asset Portfolios," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 79-108, March.
    18. Molyneux, Philip & Nguyen, Linh H. & Xie, Ru, 2013. "Foreign bank entry in South East Asia," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 26-35.
    19. Esperanca, Jose Paulo & Gulamhussen, Mohamed Azzim, 2001. "(Re)Testing the 'follow the customer' hypothesis in multinational bank expansion," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 281-293, July.
    20. Herrero, Alicia Garcia & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2007. "The mix of international banks' foreign claims: Determinants and implications," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1613-1631, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:16:y:2007:i:4:p:507-525. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/133/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.