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What drives banks’ appetite for sovereign debt in CEE countries?

Author

Listed:
  • Antonija Buljan

    (Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Business Zagreb, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Milan Deskar-Skrbic

    (Modelling Department, Croatian National Bank, Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Mirna Dumicic

    (Financial Stability Department, Croatian National Bank, Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

In this paper, we provide the first analysis of the level and determinants of sovereign exposure of banking systems in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, thus contributing to the existing literature on sovereign exposures and the sovereign-bank nexus. Results of descriptive analysis showed that exposure to sovereign debt securities in CEE countries is substantially higher than in euro area countries, which can be explained by the lower development of financial markets in this region. We also found evidence of home-bias in CEE and emphasized the role of different monetary policy regimes in explaining differences in exposure among CEE countries. Results of panel analysis showed that changes of debt securities in bank balance sheets in CEE countries are mostly determined by broader macroeconomic conditions and to a lesser extent by their regulatory frameworks. In addition, we did not find evidence of so-called reach-for-yield behaviour. Our results indicate that efforts to reduce sovereign exposure in CEE countries require strong collaboration of not only regulators, but also of fiscal authorities and other policy makers able to contribute to the development of financial markets in this region. Moreover, regulators should especially focus on reducing the home-bias in CEE.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonija Buljan & Milan Deskar-Skrbic & Mirna Dumicic, 2020. "What drives banks’ appetite for sovereign debt in CEE countries?," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 44(2), pages 179-201.
  • Handle: RePEc:ipf:psejou:v:44:y:2020:i:2:p:179-201
    DOI: 10.3326/pse.44.2.2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    sovereign-bank nexus; banks’ exposure to sovereign debt; CEE; panel regressions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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