Lessons from recent banking crises

In recent years major banking and financial crises have emerged in several countries. Banking systems seem to have become more crisis‐prone. Banks in many countries have very high levels of non‐performing loans, there has been a major destruction of bank capital, banks have failed, and massive support operations have been necessary. They have involved substantial costs: in some cases the cost has exceeded 10 per cent of GNP (eg in Spain, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Mexico, Argentina, Hungary).