Financial Market Reforms in Nepal and Its Presence in South Asia

Financial market is the backbone of the economy, hence is crucial for the economic growth and development of any country. The financial sector also entails the seeds of financial crisis that can spill over across the rest of economy. Though the interaction between various economic sectors is crucial, it requires timely assessment of risks and redressed. This chapter attempts to capture the sequencing and implementation of financial market reforms in Nepal and briefly examine its consequences. The evidence confirms that reforms do not only mean the institutional and policy reforms but also manifests in terms of increase in the number of financial institutions, expansion in the outreach of financial services and products in terms of quality and quantity as well as improvement in the soundness of macroeconomic indicators. Finally, it argues for the continuation of reforms and consolidation in the financial markets to make the system resilient in changing contexts.

Interdependence between Nordic stock markets and financial cooperation

Purpose – This study aims to link the financial cooperation in the Nordic region and the interdependence between the stock markets in this area. The main emphasis is placed on the evolution of this interdependence as the financial integration was proceeding. Design/methodology/approach – Johansen’s cointegration technique and the exponential generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroskedastic model are applied to test the long-run and short-run interdependences, respectively, among Nordic stock markets. In particular, the recursive estimation approach is used to reveal the evolution of the interdependence between those markets. Findings – The existence of two cointegrations over the sample period indicates that the markets depend on each other to some extent. The recursive estimation of Johansen’s model further reveals that the interdependence had been greatly improving until late 2008. The interdependence between those markets is also confirmed convincingly by the short-term dynamics, noting that the spillover effects between most pairs of stock volatilities are witnessed in the empirical results. Practical implications – The findings show the dynamics of the long-run correlations between the Nordic stock markets, which imply the intrinsic response to the process of financial market reforms, the 2008 global financial crisis and the period after the crisis. The evidenced information about determinants of the interdependence between Nordic stock markets is sending strong signals to investors to enhance their investment strategies. Originality/value – Most of the existing studies have been restricted to the static long-run and/or short-run interdependence among those markets. However, this study contributes to the literature by investigating the dynamics of interdependence among the Nordic stock markets over time; moreover, the evolution of the market interdependence is sketched closely to the process of the regional financial market reforms.