Mirroring the long-established structure of the financial industry, EU financial regulation as we know it today approaches banking, insurance and investment services separately and often divergently. In recent decades however, the clear separation between financial sectors has gradually evaporated, as business lines have converged across sectors and FinTech solutions have emerged which do not fit traditional sector boundaries. As the contours of the traditional tripartition in the financial industry have faded, the diverging regulatory and supervisory treatment of these sectors has become increasingly at odds with economic reality. This book brings together insights developed by distinguished researchers and industry professionals in a series of articles analysing the main areas of EU financial regulation from a cross-sectoral perspective. For each specific research theme – including prudential regulation, corporate governance and conduct of business rules – the similarities, as well as gaps, overlaps and unjustifiable differences between banking, securities and insurance regulation, are clearly presented and discussed. This innovative research approach is aimed at informing lawmakers and policymakers on potential improvements to EU financial regulation whilst also supporting legal and compliance professionals applying the current framework or looking to streamline compliance processes.

In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

This book offers new insights into the real and financial sectors in the post-pandemic European Union, with a specific focus on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and a special reference to Croatia. The contributors examine the timeliness, justification, and appropriateness of the measures taken in response to the deteriorating economic conditions and the associated outcomes. They further discuss various aspects of economic, financial, and energy policy. While doing so, they focus on two important issues. The first is an analysis and assessment of the financial development and performance of the real sector. The second is an insight into the institutional dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the discussion of obstacles and opportunities for recovery in the near future. The topics covered in this book include, but are not limited to, unconventional monetary policy, financial cycles, fiscal incentives, institutional development and institutional quality, the banking system, real estate markets, competitiveness, pension systems, financial regulation, energy markets, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, as well as agricultural policy. Therefore, this volume will appeal to researchers, students, and scholars of finance and economics, as well as policy-makers interested in a better understanding of real and financial sectors, economic policy, and post-pandemic economic development in Central and Eastern Europe.