Banking on resilience: EU macroprudential policy and systemic risk

This study examines the effectiveness of macroprudential policies on banking systemic risk for 172 European banks across 20 EU countries from 2000 to 2017. Using a dynamic panel framework, it assesses the effectiveness of policy on two dimensions of systemic risk: banks' contribution to aggregate systemic risk (dCoVaR) and their vulnerability in stressed markets (Exposure- dCoVaR). Results show policy actions reduce bank systemic risk, especially in terms of ExposuredCoVaR. However, this effect varies between tightening and loosening measures. Interestingly, the analysis indicates that policies don't significantly affect banks' contribution to systemic risk as measured by dCoVaR. Borrower -based policies and exposure limits in particular enhance bank resilience. This study has important implications for policymakers regarding the calibration and evaluation of macroprudential measures.