Systemically Important Banks: A Permutation Test Approach

Abstract

According to the definition of Financial Stability Board (FSB), Systemically Important Banks (SIBs) are the banks “whose disorderly failure, because of their size, complexity and systemic interconnectedness, would cause significant disruption to the wider financial system and economic activity”. The current methodology for their determination is based on balance-sheet variables and expert judgment. We use permutation tests to investigate the relevance of equity-based systemic risk measures in the SIBs choice. Restriction of the analysis to European Banks, for which full information is available, allows understanding the importance of equity-based systemic risk measures also for size, interconnectedness, substitutability/financial Institution Infrastructure, complexity and cross-jurisdictional Activity categories.