The Euro Bias of Bank Assets in the Eurozone

Abstract:

The integration of eurozone financial markets since the advent of the euro in 1999 has been the center of attention in policy debates and academic research. We analyze the bank assets of monetary financial institutions in Germany vis-à-vis nonresidents. The financial institutions of the eurozone countries have tended to invest in assets of other eurozone countries substantially more since the introduction of the euro. The euro effect is especially stronger in the weaker eurozone economies than in the stronger eurozone economies. Furthermore, the impact of the euro has been even greater in securities than in loans. In this paper, we use Bundesbank balance-of-payment statistics to analyze the euro’s effects on the asset portfolios of German banks vis-à-vis nonresidents.