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Globalization is motivating many emerging market firms (EMFs) to expand operations through outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). General FDI theories, such as internalization theory and the OLI paradigm, are based on industrialized countries, leading to inevitable gaps in explaining the OFDI activities of EMFs. We extend the literature by establishing a connection between international finance and the internationalization of EMFs. We argue that foreign banks operating in emerging markets offer a diverse set of resources that can help EMFs expand globally. Under gradually easing foreign bank entry restrictions in China, utilizing a panel dataset of Chinese listed companies spanning 2001–2018, we find a positive association between foreign bank entry and the OFDI activities of Chinese companies. The identified channels include direct loan support from foreign banks, information support from foreign banks’ global branch networks, a high level of internationalization, and close proximity to local companies, as well as loan support from domestic banks under foreign bank competition. The entry of foreign banks particularly stimulates OFDI in non-state-owned, higher profitability companies, in medium-sized, low financial marketization, and node cities designated in the Belt and Road Initiative. These findings provide new insights into emerging market financial openness and the internationalization of EMFs.

This paper investigates the effect of foreign bank entry on the export quality of firms. For this purpose, we mainly use the transaction data from the Chinese Customs Database and the production data from the Annual Survey of Industrial Firms of China during the years 2000–2006. The obtained data consists of 62,483 observations gathered from 19,888 firms. The results show that foreign bank entry enhanced the export quality of firms that are more externally financially dependent. This influence is stronger for non-state-owned firms and ordinary-trade firms than for the other types of firms. We further demonstrate that foreign bank entry is mainly through promoting innovation endeavors and improving the quality of intermediate inputs yielding to enhance the export quality of firms that have more external financial requirements.

While the impact of financial liberalization on local economies and financial sectors has been extensively discussed, limited evidence exists regarding its effects on corporate environmental performance. We investigate the impact of financial liberalization on corporate environmental performance using a unique and comprehensive dataset that includes firm-level pollution emissions. The results indicate that the entry of foreign banks significantly enhances corporate environmental performance, as demonstrated by a reduction in SO 2 emission intensity. These findings are robust and supported by various approaches. Mechanism analysis suggests that the entry of foreign banks can alleviate financing constraints and improve end-of-pipe governance. However, there is no evidence suggesting that enterprises reduce pollution emissions through technological upgrades. Further analysis reveals that private and foreign-owned firms experience more substantial environmental benefits compared to state-owned firms. Government actions significantly influence the emission reduction effects of foreign banks. Strengthening environmental goals by local governments enhances emission reduction effects; while, a weakening of these effects is observed when economic growth goals take precedence. This paper provides empirical evidence and policy insights for the continued expansion of financial liberalization, considering its environmental benefits.

This study investigated the direct link between foreign bank entry and economic growth in Sub-Sahara African countries using a dynamic generalized method of moment estimator. It also studied a comparative analysis on banking environment for SSA countries that open and restrict banking industries to foreign ownership using descriptive analysis. The descriptive evidence suggests that SSA countries that allowed foreign bank entry have better banking service access, competition and depth than SSA countries that restrict banking industries to foreign ownership. Econometric estimation result shows a foreign bank asset share has a direct positive effect on economic growth. The findings of this study provide imperative policy implication to SSA countries that did not open their banking sector to foreign investment. They could open the door for foreign bank involvement in the banking industries and reap all the good benefits that SSA countries that open their banking industries to foreign investors are enjoying.

This unique study examines the interactive role of bank competition and foreign bank entry in explaining the risk-taking of banks over the globe. We used cross-country data for the banking sector from 2000 to 2016. Using the pooled regression model and Two-stage Least Squares model (2SLS with Generalized Method of Moments GMM), we document that foreign bank entry decreases the risk-taking behavior of the banks to a certain level and exhibits an inverted U-shaped relation with financial stability. Furthermore, the joint effect of bank competition and foreign bank entry brings financial fragility because host banks tend to make risky investments due to undue competition induced by foreign bank entry. We support the competition-fragility hypothesis when foreign bank entry goes beyond a certain threshold. Our results also suggest that restrictions on bank activities and capital regulation stringency reduce the level of the risk factor. We also applied various robustness tests, which further confirm our mainstream results. Our findings have policy implications for foreign investors and regulatory authorities.

This study investigates the impact of foreign banks entry on financial development in the MENA countries. We use the relative number of foreign banks as proxy for foreign banks entry, and liquid liabilities and claims on private sector as share of GDP as proxies for the financial development. We find a positive long-term and significant effect of foreign banks entry on the size and activity of financial development. We also find that the effect of foreign banks entry depends on the time period and the level of economic development. This result seems to suggest that MENA countries should not be taken as one group when studying the impact of financial sector reform on financial development. The impact of foreign bank entry is positive for the 10 richest MENA countries, while it is negative (but not statistically significant) or negligible for the group of less developed MENA countries. The last result indicates that there is a cherry picking phenomenon in less developed MENA countries. The negative effect of foreign banks cherry picking is diminished over time, since the period 2005-2014 show more positive impact of foreign bank entry on financial development, than the period 1995-2004. This result gives evidence that foreign banks need time to overcome informational disadvantage caused by geographical and cultural distance, to expand their lending into soft information borrowers, and to realize the expected positive effect of its entry on financial development in poorest MENA countries.

Using data from ninety commercial banks in the Indonesian banking sector, this paper investigates the impact of the acquisition of domestic private banks by foreign banks on lending behaviour, particularly SME credit. Among foreign banks, we differentiate between acquired banks and greenfield foreign banks, and examine whether the acquired banks changed their lending behaviour following their acquisition. Our empirical results of effects on the credit supply of acquired banks are not clear except SME credit; between 2000 and 2009, the acquired banks did reduce credit to SMEs after acquisition.

This study examines how foreign banks affect private credit flows in 135 nations, including 57 emerging markets for 1995-2013. Employing different econometric techniques, I find both higher share of foreign banks and foreign assets to significantly reduce credit flows. Such decline in credit is highest in nations with more than 50 percent foreign banks. The findings support the view that foreign banks face informational asymmetries that hamper them from lending to the more informationally opaque firms. The results call for strengthening accounting standards, disclosure rules in host markets and for prospective foreign banks to modify their credit risk evaluation methods.

Purpose – The penetration of foreign banks into emerging markets has been linked with financial sector deepening and expansion of credit. However, there is little research into the interaction of financial sector institutions with broader transition and development dynamics. The purpose of this paper is to examine if the presence of foreign financial institutions helped to shape a better business environment over the long-run in emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use aggregate, country-level annual data for 107 developed and emerging market countries over a shifting 30-year time span (1983-2012). The authors use Prais-Winsten and System-GMM techniques on stationary variables to highlight linkages between foreign banks and the overall business environment. Where data were found to be non-stationary, the authors applied panel cointegration approaches, including Granger Causality and full-modified OLS, to research the same relationship. Findings – The results show that foreign bank entry in emerging markets has had a positive effect in the broader business environment, with the biggest effects on legal protection, competitiveness, and time to import/export. Research limitations/implications – This paper does not consider the broader effects of foreign bank entry on competition within emerging markets, an area that the authors are considering as fruitful for future research. Originality/value – The issue of financial sector impact on broader business environment issues has not been studied in the extant literature. Moreover, this study makes an important contribution for policymakers who are grappling with issues related to financial sector regulation in the post-global financial crisis world.

This paper analyzes the effects of foreign bank entry on industrial efficiency in the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a case study of financial opening. The study reveals an overall positive impact on the industry. However, the effects vary across ownership groups: negative for state and collective sectors, positive for private enterprises, and insignificant for foreign-invested firms. These findings are incompatible with predictions based on the “cream-skimming effect” and information asymmetry. We investigate two transmission channels of the policy effects—via an easing of financing constraints and through increased competition. Foreign bank entry, like financial liberalization, reverses the effects of repressive financial policy, which protects the state sector but discriminates against private enterprises. While enhancing bank competition can be an effective way to support private sector development, the state sector deserves close attention in order to ensure a smooth transition. This case study should offer some useful lessons for future financial opening.