Why do banks use credit default swaps (CDS)? A systematic review

Abstract

Credit default swaps (CDS)—the fiercely discussed derivatives instrument since the explosion of the recent global credit crunch—are still subject to considerable theoretical and practical debate. More than a decade after significant developments in CDS literature, we currently lack a holistic understanding of the disparate strands of evidence, synthesizing analytical advancements in the field. We, therefore, conducted a systematic review of 143 publications (peer-reviewed and first-tier grey literature), focusing on three key areas: CDS characteristics and development, credit risk hedging, and determinants of CDS use, and performed the first bibliometric mapping for CDS. Our review makes the following contributions. First, measuring CDS characteristics and development gives a snapshot of how CDS remained a significant indicator for hedging corporate lending risk. Second, by mapping the research landscape, we provide insights into banks’ use of CDS; in particular, we show that banks use CDS to obtain capital relief, enhance liquidity and profitability, limit credit supply, and consequently mitigate their NPLs’ level. Moreover, the use of CDS by lenders increases firms’ leverage and value. Leaving a fertile area for debates and future research, the outcomes of this review help provide policy guidance to regulators and financial institutions that make informed decisions to use CDS as a credit risk management instrument.