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Transfer of reputation: Multinational banks and perceived creditworthiness of transition countries

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  • Jana Grittersov�

Abstract

How do international investors evaluate sovereign borrowers whose histories and institutions are too new or weak to send strong signals about their creditworthiness? In this paper, I suggest that the perceived creditworthiness of many transition countries' governments rests on a 'transfer' of good reputation from prestigious multinational banks, as foreign direct investors. The entry of reputable foreign banks into a transition country signals to international financial markets about the financial strength of that host economy. It also involves the transfer of the status of lender of last resort to the foreign parent bank. Foreign bank penetration can thus create optimistic expectations about a host country's capacity to service its sovereign debt. Using panel data for 23 transition economies during the period of 1996-2009, my empirical results provide support for the argument stressing the exogenous role of foreign financiers as enhancers of the credibility of host country governments. The results are robust to instrumental variable analysis and the inclusion of number of controls for alternative determinants of investors' perceptions of country risk. This proposition is further backed by evidence from three transition countries: Hungary, Estonia and Ukraine.

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  • Jana Grittersov�, 2014. "Transfer of reputation: Multinational banks and perceived creditworthiness of transition countries," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 878-912, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rripxx:v:21:y:2014:i:4:p:878-912
    DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2013.848373
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stephan Barisitz & Mathias Lahnsteiner, 2009. "Investor Commitment Tested by Deep Crisis: Banking Development in Ukraine," Financial Stability Report, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 18, pages 67-75.
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    3. Vogel, Ursula & Winkler, Adalbert, 2010. "Foreign banks and financial stability in emerging markets: Evidence from the global financial crisis," Frankfurt School - Working Paper Series 149, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.
    4. Michael Tomz, 2007. "The Puzzle of Cooperation in International Debt, from Reputation and International Cooperation: Sovereign Debt across Three Centuries," Introductory Chapters, in: Reputation and International Cooperation: Sovereign Debt across Three Centuries, Princeton University Press.
    5. Barry Eichengreen & Ashoka Mody, 1998. "What Explains Changing Spreads on Emerging-Market Debt: Fundamentals or Market Sentiment?," NBER Working Papers 6408, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. repec:onb:oenbwp:y:2006:i:12:b:1 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Sylvester C.W. Eijffinger, 2012. "Rating Agencies: Role and Influence of Their Sovereign Credit Risk Assessment in the Eurozone," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(6), pages 912-921, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Úbeda, Fernando & Mendez, Alvaro & Forcadell, Francisco Javier, 2022. "The sustainable practices of multinational banks as drivers of financial inclusion in developing countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115063, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Zeynep Önder & Süheyla Özyıldırım, 2016. "Foreign banks, financial crises and macroeconomic fluctuations," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 24(3), pages 447-479, July.
    3. Cristina Bodea & Raymond Hicks, 2018. "Sovereign credit ratings and central banks: Why do analysts pay attention to institutions?," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 340-365, November.
    4. Úbeda, Fernando & Mendez, Alvaro & Forcadell, Francisco Javier, 2023. "The sustainable practices of multinational banks as drivers of financial inclusion in developing countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).

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