Covid-19 support may have created “zombie firms” – BIS economists

Policy-makers should impose tighter lending standards and reform bankruptcy law, analysts argue

bis-5
Daniel Hinge

Looser monetary policy introduced as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic may be keeping “zombie firms” alive, two Bank for International Settlements economists warn.

Speaking on a BIS podcast on April 13, economists Boris Hoffman and Ryan Banerjee said that low interest rates mean that unprofitable firms can tap cheap credit, which helps them to avoid bankruptcies. Economists define “zombie firms” as firms that are persistently unprofitable and which the market judges unlikely to return to

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@centralbanking.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.centralbanking.com/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@centralbanking.com to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Central Banking? View our subscription options

Register for Central Banking

All fields are mandatory unless otherwise highlighted

This address will be used to create your account

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Central Banking account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account

.