Publication: Lithuania : Banking System Assessment
Loading...
Date
2009-12
ISSN
Published
2009-12
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The Bank of Lithuania (BoL), the Central Bank, was established in 1990. BoL has the exclusive right to grant and revoke licenses to local and foreign banks and to supervise their activities. Private commercial banking boomed from 1991 to 1994 while bank regulation was lax. In late 1995, a bank crisis caused failures of most of the Lithuanian banks, and the remaining banks resulted in better managed and supervised institutions. BoL also applied tougher regulation on the banking sector. All commercial banks now need to have their financial records audited every year by an international auditing firm. This report includes the following headings: risks and contingency crisis management in the Lithuanian banking system; credit risk and regulatory issues; and description of corporate debt restructuring procedures in Lithuania.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2009. Lithuania : Banking System Assessment. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12822 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Republic of Serbia Financial Sector Assessment Program Update(Washington, DC, 2009-10)Nonperforming Loans (NPLs) in the banking system constituted 16.5 percent of total loans, owing primarily to the corporate sector. The Credit Bureau, maintained by the Association of Serbian Banks, also discloses dramatic increases in corporate and retail defaults over the past year. NPL resolution and loan loss mitigation is hampered by a still evolving but uneven collateral and enforcement framework that complicates restructuring and leads to delays and lower recoveries in execution procedures. Corporate debt resolution is further complicated by a pattern of corporate misconduct designed to circumvent a creditor's legitimate enforcement rights. This is particularly acute in response to account blockages. In an effort to survive, business owners frequently engage in a pattern of corporate fraud to avoid their legitimate obligations by creating alter ego or shell companies through which to conduct their ongoing business activities, with all funds passing through the new legal entity. That entity is free from debt and can open bank accounts, engage in contracts, and carry on business as usual using the corporate assets of the prior legal entity under cleverly disguised lease or contractual use obligations. In most modern economies, such practices constitute fraud or fraudulent transfers that can carry stiff penalties, including loss of business privileges. Other reported abuses include applying for voluntary dissolution during which the owner or a friendly receiver continues to operate the business for years in an apparent wind-down of the business, while ignoring creditor claims.Publication “No Way Out” : The Lack of Efficient Insolvency Regimes in the MENA Region(2011-03-01)This paper provides a comparative summary of the payout phase of insolvency systems in the MENA Region. Countries in the region generally have weaker restructuring and liquidation systems than those in most other regions. The paper summarizes many of the weaknesses common across the region.Publication Serbia : Financial Sector Assessment(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-06-08)The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) update team found that the authorities have progressed in implementing the key recommendations from the initial assessment. The 2005 FSAP team revealed a number of vulnerabilities, including (i) high credit growth, largely financed by foreign banks, which resulted in rising nonperforming loans (NPLs), and (ii) poor management and low capital of several systematically important state-controlled banks. The Basel Core Principle on Banking Supervision (BCP) assessment identified a number of deficiencies in banking supervision. The update team found that the authorities took action to address the issues highlighted by the 2005 FSAP. In particular, they adopted prudential measures to slow credit growth, including higher risk weights for foreign currency loans to un-hedged borrowers, and exposure limits to households. Two systemic state-controlled banks were privatized. Finally, a new banking law was enacted that significantly strengthened supervision on consolidated basis and improved corporate governance and transparency.Publication The Polish Bank Insolvency Regime(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-07)The bank insolvency framework in Poland should be modernized to ensure financial stability, maintain the continuity of critical functions in the banking system, and protect depositors and creditors, while assigning losses according to a pre-established creditor hierarchy. Several country experiences in Europe and elsewhere have demonstrated the effectiveness of new bank resolution measures by the European commission. A key aspect of the resolution process is for the authorities to swiftly assess and revalue the balance sheet of the intervened bank. Other particularities of modern resolution procedures relate to maintaining the integrity of secured financial contracts to prevent disruptions in financial market transactions including in payments and settlements systems. The treatment of systemically important institutions should rely on extraordinary resolution tools which are necessary if a bank is too large to be purchased or for its liabilities to be readily assumed. The purpose of this paper is thus to describe and recommend new features that can be added to strengthen the Polish legislation for handling commercial bank insolvencies. The paper focuses on the legal issues related to insolvency of banks (including commercial banks and cooperative banks). The banking sector's share in the total assets of the credit sector amounts to 89 percent while cooperative banks control 6 percent. The only wholly-owned state bank is the development bank Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) which is subject to supervision by the Polish Financial Supervisory Authority (KNF).Publication Pakistan - Strengthening the Insolvency Regime : Non-Lending Technical Assistance Final Report(Washington, DC, 2011-06)The importance of a modern, binding and effective insolvency regime is undeniable. Nearly 90 countries around the world have reformed their bankruptcy codes since Second World War, and over half of them have done so during the last decade. One of the key aspects in the reform process is the delicate balance addressed by a modern insolvency system which encourages the organization of viable firms and liquidates unviable firms. The financial and macroeconomic crises, as recently experienced in Pakistan, provide an opportunity for bankruptcy reform, as the potential employment impact often places the issue of insolvent companies high on the policy agenda. The three fundamental goals of any insolvency law are: 1) transparency, including a system for publicizing and indexing judgments, an accessible method for registering securing interest and an effective notice of insolvency proceedings, 2) predictability - in terms of being fair, simple and clear, which if not achieved ends up costing more as financial institutions compensate the uncertainty with additional credit costs; and 3) efficiency, which conceptually is clear but empirically is difficult to measure.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication World Development Report 2019(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2019)Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.Publication Zimbabwe(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03-01)This report presents an assessment of Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector disaster risk and management capacity. The findings indicate that Zimbabwe is highly exposed to agricultural risks and has limited capacity to manage risk at various levels. The report shows that disaster-related shocks along Zimbabwe’s agricultural supply chains directly translate to volatility in agricultural GDP. Such shocks have a substantial impact on economic growth, food security, and fiscal balance. When catastrophic disasters occur, the economy absorbs the shocks, without benefiting from any instruments that transfer the risk to markets and coping ability. The increasing prevalence of ‘shock recovery-shock’ cycles impairs Zimbabwe’s ability to plan and pursue a sustainable development path. The findings presented here confirm that it is highly pertinent for Zimbabwe to strengthen the capacity to manage risk at various levels, from the smallholder farmer, to other participants along the supply chain, to consumers (who require a reliable, safe food supply), and ultimately to the government to manage natural disasters. The assessment provides the following evidence on sources of risks and plausible risk management solutions. It is our hope that the report contributes to action by the Government of Zimbabwe to adopt a proactive and integrated risk management strategy appropriate to the current structure of the agricultural sector.Publication Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System : A Handbook for Development Practitioners(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004)An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations, and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a 'readiness assessment' and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.Publication Supporting Youth at Risk(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008)The World Bank has produced this policy Toolkit in response to a growing demand from our government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The author has highlighted 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: (i) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; (ii) early school leaving; (iii) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; (iv) crime and violence; and (v) substance abuse. The objective of this Toolkit is to serve as a practical guide for policy makers in middle-income countries as well as professionals working within the area of youth development on how to develop and implement an effective policy portfolio to foster healthy and positive youth development.Publication The Power of Survey Design : A User's Guide for Managing Surveys, Interpreting Results, and Influencing Respondents(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)The vast majority of data used for economic research, analysis, and policy design comes from surveys-surveys of households, firms, schools, hospitals, and market participants, and, the accuracy of the estimate will depend on how well the survey is done. This innovative book is both a 'how-to' go about carrying out high-quality surveys, especially in the challenging environment of developing countries, and a 'user's guide' for anyone who uses statistical data. Reading this book will provide data users with a wealth of insight into what kinds of problems, or biases to look for in different data sources, based on the underlying survey approaches that were used to generate the data. In that sense the book is an invaluable 'skeptics guide to data'. Yet, the broad storyline of the book is something that should be absorbed by statistical data users. The book will teach and show how difficult it often is to obtain reliable estimates of important social and economic facts, and, therefore encourages you to approach all estimates with sensible caution.