“The International Banking Research Network (IBRN) brings together central bank researchers from around the world to analyze issues pertaining to global banks. It was established in 2012 by Austrian, German, U.S., and U.K. researchers who saw a need for joint analysis of key questions, such as the role of cross-border banking in the transmission of financial shocks. The group has now expanded to include economists and analysts from a broad group of central banks, as well as the Bank for International Settlements and the International Monetary Fund.  A common underlying theme of research conducted in the IBRN is the use of micro-level data to better understand the consequences of global banking. Country teams work on the same topic in parallel, bringing their distinct, bank-level data sets to bear on the development of comparable cross-country evidence. Although underlying regulatory data cannot be made public, the results of the common analysis can be shared to inform policy dialogue. Since the initiative launched, IBRN participants have presented the results of a first set of research studies from 2013 in regular network meetings and a second set of studies for 2014 is underway. The work is expected to find outlets in broader policy forums, working papers, and economics journals.”