Anat R. Admati Knihy

What is wrong with today's banking system? The past few years have shown that risks in banking can impose significant costs on the economy. Many claim, however, that a safer banking system would require sacrificing lending and economic growth. The Bankers' New Clothes examines this claim and the narratives used by bankers, politicians, and regulators to rationalize the lack of reform, exposing them as invalid. Admati and Hellwig argue we can have a safer and healthier banking system without sacrificing any of the benefits of the system, and at essentially no cost to society. They show that banks are as fragile as they are not because they must be, but because they want to be--and they get away with it. Whereas this situation benefits bankers, it distorts the economy and exposes the public to unnecessary risks. Weak regulation and ineffective enforcement allowed the buildup of risks that ushered in the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Much can be done to create a better system and prevent crises. Yet the lessons from the crisis have not been learned. Admati and Hellwig seek to engage the broader public in the debate by cutting through the jargon of banking, clearing the fog of confusion, and presenting the issues in simple and accessible terms. The Bankers' New Clothes calls for ambitious reform and outlines specific and highly beneficial steps that can be taken immediately.

In den letzten Jahren dominiert ein Thema die Schlagzeilen: die Finanzkrise und die maroden Banken. Und wer bezahlt, wenn mal wieder eine Bank aus dem Ruder läuft? Die Sparer und die Steuerzahler! Trotzdem schaffen es die Bankmanager immer wieder, sich strengeren Reglements zu entziehen, und tischen dafür die aberwitzigsten Argumente auf. Anat Admati und Martin Hellwig untersuchen diese »modernen Märchen« und kommen eindeutig zu dem Schluss, dass es keineswegs notwendig ist, die Vorzüge des Systems zu opfern, um die Banken gesünder und sicherer zu machen. Denn Finanzkonzerne sind oftmals so krisenanfällig, weil sie es sein wollen, um höhere Gewinne zu machen, und nicht, weil sie es müssen. Aus dem Schaden scheint niemand klug geworden zu sein. Damit die zu schwache Regulierung von Banken nicht zur nächsten Krise führt, setzen sich Admati und Hellwig für ambitionierte Reformen ein und schlagen eine Reihe von einfach umzusetzenden Schritten vor. Doch damit sich im Bankensektor etwas bewegt, ist eine kritische Gesellschaft erforderlich. Admati und Hellwig entzaubern das märchenhaft unverständliche Banker-Vokabular und entmystifizieren die Herren des Geldes.

A Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg Businessweek Book of the Year Why our banking system is broken—and what we must do to fix it New bank failures have been a rude awakening for everyone who believed that the banking industry was reformed after the Global Financial Crisis—and that we’d never again have to choose between massive bailouts and financial havoc. The Bankers’ New Clothes uncovers just how little things have changed—and why banks are still so dangerous. Writing in clear language that anyone can understand, Anat Admati and Martin Hellwig debunk the false and misleading claims of bankers, regulators, politicians, academics, and others who oppose effective reform, and they explain how the banking system can be made safer and healthier. Thoroughly updated for a world where bank failures have made a dramatic return, this acclaimed and important book now features a new preface and four new chapters that expose the shortcomings of current policies and reveal how the dominance of banking even presents dangers to the rule of law and democracy itself.