Unconventional monetary policy, competition and financial stability. Evidence from the Eurozone banks

Abstract

This article analyses the effects of the ECB’s negative interest rates (or unconventional) policy on the degree of banking competition, lending and deposit supply, and financial stability. Using a dataset comprising 191 Eurozone banks for the 2002Q1-2016Q4 period, our results suggest that negative interest rates (i) increase banks’ lending and deposit supply, (ii) reduce banking competition, and (iii) weaken financial stability. This phenomenon is economically more significant for periphery country banks than for core country banks.