Foreign-owned banks and foreign trade in CESEE countries – a growth-enhancing duo?

Based on a sample of 14 Central, Eastern and Southeastern European (CESEE) countries during the period between 1995 and 2015, we analyse how foreign-owned banks and foreign trade impact economic growth. To date, studies have concentrated on the interlinkages between different forms of foreign bank presence (cross-border flows, branches, subsidiaries and syndicated loans) and the scale of foreign trade (imports and exports). Our approach is novel because we analyse the impact of the similarity between the geographical structures of foreign-owned banks and foreign trade on economic growth. We find that this similarity is not conducive to economic growth and reduces the benefits of a country's openness to trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]