The aim of this textbook is to provide a comprehensive introduction to theoretical and applied issues relating to the global banking industry. Despite the fears of Henry Ford, we do not think reading this book will cause a revolution but we do hope it will at least provide you with an enjoyable and interesting insight into the business of banking.
A major motivation for writing this text has been to fill a gap in the market. For a number of years we have all taught banking courses and we have become aware of students’ frustration about the lack of a comprehensive yet accessible textbook that deals with a broad spectrum of introductory banking issues. Most introductory texts that cover banking issues tend to be broad-based, focusing on economics and finance, and these (in our view) do not provide sufficient detail or coverage of the theoretical and institutional detail that is essential for an accurate understanding of critical banking issues. While there are textbooks that provide such coverage targeted at advanced undergraduates and the postgraduate market, there is no text that has comprehensive coverage of such issues for those new to the study of banking. In addition, many textbooks that cover banking as part of broadly based money and banking courses tend to provide only limited attention to international experiences. As such, we have written this text to provide (we hope) an essential teaching and learning resource for anyone who has to lecture introductory undergraduates as well as professional banking courses.