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Monetary policy and bank lending in a low interest rate environment: diminishing effectiveness?

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  • Claudio Borio
  • Leonardo Gambacorta

Abstract

This paper analyses the effectiveness of monetary policy on bank lending in a low interest rate environment. Based on a sample of 108 large international banks, our empirical analysis suggests that reductions in short-term interest rates are less effective in stimulating bank lending growth when rates reach a very low level. This result holds after controlling for business and financial cycle conditions and different bank-specific characteristics such as liquidity, capitalisation, funding costs, bank risk and income diversification. We find that the impact of low rates on the profitability of banks' traditional intermediation activity helps explain the subdued evolution of lending in the period 2010-14.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudio Borio & Leonardo Gambacorta, 2017. "Monetary policy and bank lending in a low interest rate environment: diminishing effectiveness?," BIS Working Papers 612, Bank for International Settlements.
    • Handle: RePEc:bis:biswps:612
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    bank lending; monetary transmission mechanisms; low interest rate environment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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