Concentration in Asia’s Cross-Border Banking: Determinants and Impacts

Abstract

Regional banking systems in Asia and the Pacific are not only increasingly integrated but also tend to be concentrated to a few counterparties only, exposing the region to financial risk and policy spillovers. This study assesses the determinants and impacts of the region’s cross-border banking concentration. It constructs and analyzes cross-border bank concentration measures for 47 economies in Asia and the Pacific from 2000 to 2019. Results suggest that higher capital account, trade openness, and per capita income are significantly associated with lower cross-border bank concentration. Moreover, elevated cross-border bank concentration tends to lower domestic credit growth and nonperforming loans.