Abstract

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book briefly describes the impact of the pandemic on bank stability, performance and credit policies, as well as the extent of banks’ and financial markets’ strategic adjustments to the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines whether and to what extent government interventions influence changes in sovereign risk. The book tackles the issue of macroprudential policy in the European Union during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the main focus on events from 2020. It investigates whether businesses of different sizes were ready to withstand the consequences of the outbreak of the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020. The book analyzes the impact of the pandemic on bank performance in the CEE region, represented by bank stability, bank profitability and credit accessibility.