Contagion of Sovereign Debt Crises: The “Financial Crisis” Spill-Over from Greece to Cyprus in 2013. Empirical Evidence and Possible Conclusions

Abstract

In 2013 the Greek financial crisis hit the small island of Cyprus hard when it spilled over from Greece, due to the strong economic, financial and intercultural interlink ages. Even though it is questionable, whether Cyprus has created its own distress or if mainly the International and European architecture of the financial markets is to be blamed, an unprecedented step has been introduced by the Troika, a bail-out bail-in requirement. Through conducting an extensive literature review this unprecedented tool in the European history is analyzed in theory and subsequently regarding the Cyprus relief. The findings suggest that both, generally and specifically regarding the Cypriot case, a bail-in has shown to be effective in reducing financing needs for the respective governments and creditors. Nevertheless, such a measure does not come without a price. Therefore, implications on deposit holders and citizens are regarded.