Bakgrund: Riksbanken har haft sedelmonopol sedan 1897, vilket har inneburit att de sedan dess har haft ensamrätt att ge ut pengar. Den teknologiska utvecklingen och den ökade användningen av internet har lett till att virtuella samfund har utvecklats och i vissa fall har dessa samhällen skapat sin egen valuta. Bitcoin är världens första helt decentraliserade valuta och baserades i början av sin existens på teknisk nyfikenhet för en handfull hobbyister. Under de senaste åren har efterfrågan på bitcoins ökat vilket i sin tur har lett till att kursen stigit explosivartat.Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att kartlägga och analysera de transaktionskostnader som kan uppstå när Bitcoin används som betalningsmedel, samt jämföra dessa kostnader med de transaktionskostnader som är förenade med användandet av traditionella betalningsmedel. Genomförande: Studien har genomförts genom en blandning av ett kvalitativt och ett kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt samt genom en bearbetning av transaktionskostnadsteorin inom ramen för ny institutionell teori. Empirin består av tre delar där studien inleds med en litteraturstudie för att läsaren ska få en inblick i vad Bitcoin är och hur valutan fungerar. Därefter presenteras det kvalitativa angreppssättet i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer och avslutningsvis presenteras studiens kvantitativa angreppsätt i form av en enkätstudie för att kartlägga användandet av bitcoin.Slutsats: Studien visar att transaktionskostnaderna för Bitcoin är högre än för traditionella betalningsmedel i och med att valutan i dagsläget är beroende av den traditionella infrastrukturen för betalningar samt att dess användare därutöver frånsäger sig det skyddsnät som traditionella betalningsmedel omfattas av. För att Bitcoin ska bli ett etablerat betalningsmedel krävs det att de grundläggande funktionerna för pengar uppfylls. Något som studien visar är bristfälligt i nuläge / Background: The Swedish central bank has had a currency monopoly since 1897, which has meant that they since then have had exclusive right to issue money. Technological advances and the increasing use of the Internet has led to an evolvement of virtual communities and in some cases these communities created their own currency. Bitcoin is the worlds first fully decentralized currency. In the beginning the currency was based on technological curiosity to a handful of hobbyists. In recent years demand for bitcoins has increased, which has led to a dramatic price increase.Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to identify and analyze the transaction costs that may arise when Bitcoin is used as means of payment, and to compare these costs with the transaction costs associated with the use of traditional means of payment. Completion: The study was conducted through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches as well as a processing of the transaction cost theory in the context of new institutional theory. The empirical material consists of three parts in which the study begins with a literature review for the reader to get a glimpse of what Bitcoin is and how the currency works. The qualitative approach is in the form of semi-structured interviews and finally the study's quantitative approach is presented in the form of a questionnaire to survey the use of bitcoin.Conclusion: The study shows that Bitcoins transaction costs are higher than conventional means of payments when account is taken to the fact that the currency is dependent on the current financial structure. The user furthermore disclaims the safety net that traditional means of payments offer. For Bitcoin to become an established means of payment it requires that the basic functions of money are fulfilled which the study shows is inadequate.

The digital currency Bitcoin has attracted a lot of attention lately, partly because of its high volatility and rising popularity. The purpose of this study was to find out why companies have chosen to implement and accept Bitcoin as a payment method. Furthermore, investigate what costs and benefits companies experience from accepting Bitcoin as a means of payment, as well security concerns and risks related to Bitcoin. The scientific method of observation used to gather information was through qualitative research where interviews were conducted with six different companies that accepts Bitcoin as a means of payment. The study's results indicate that there are several factors that lead to companies choosing to implement Bitcoin as a payment method. It is perceived to be of high level of security as well the risks associated with Bitcoin are not perceived to be major among the respondents. The result showed that the costs of accepting Bitcoin as a means of payment are low for companies but unlike previous studies, it showed very high transaction fees for consumers. / Den digitala valutan Bitcoin har uppmärksammats mycket på senaste tid, bland annat på grund av dess höga volatilitet och stigande popularitet. Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på varför företag har valt att implementera och använda Bitcoin som ett betalningsalternativ. Dessutom undersöka vilka kostnader och fördelar företag upplever med att acceptera Bitcoin som betalningsmedel, samt hur de ser på säkerheten och risker som kan uppstå. Studien utfördes med ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt där sex intervjuer genomförts med sex olika företag som tar emot Bitcoin som betalningsmedel. Studiens resultat visade på att det är flera olika faktorer som leder till att företag väljer att implementera Bitcoin som betalningsmedel. Den upplevda säkerheten var hög och de risker som förknippas med Bitcoin upplevdes inte som stor hos de tillfrågade respondenterna. Resultatet visade även att kostnaderna med Bitcoin som betalningsmedel är låga för företag, men att de till skillnad från tidigare studier visade på en väldigt hög transaktionskostnad för konsumenter.

The study aims to examine the current phenomena where consumers in Sweden increasingly choose mobile payment services as a payment method instead of using cash or credit cards. The study wants to answer the question “how does the increasing use of mobile payment services affect the consumer/user’s consumption and why do we choose the software as a payment method?” The study explains the main functions and characteristics of the top four mobile payment services in Sweden, but applies a case study on the most popular mobile payment service: Swish. The characteristics and functions that is examined is therefore delimited to Swish; but the linkages drawn from the why the consumer use mobile payment services, to a consumer’s consumption choices can of course generally apply to several mobile payment services.The study is divided into parts and chapters to increase reading comprehension, understanding of structure and fast identification of relevant and needed information.

В магистерской диссертации сформулированы вероятные перспективы развития электронной коммерции в сфере платежного сервиса. Исходя из актуальной проблематики транзакций российских компаний, даны рекомендации по модернизации бизнес-процессов е-коммерции. / The master's thesis formulated the likely prospects for the development of e-Commerce in the field of payment service. Based on the actual problems of transactions of Russian companies, recommendations for the modernization of e-Commerce business processes are given.

El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como principal objetivo el analizar el uso del Bitcoin como medio de pago en el Perú. El bitcoin es un moneda digital o criptomoneda esta es intangible y virtual que sirve como medio de intercambio de bienes y servicios como cualquier otra cualquier moneda del mundo donde esta sea aceptada, esta como tal no cuenta con un número de serie u otro mecanismo que permita rastrear a los vendedores y compradores que emplean esta divisa electrónica . Con respecto a la metodología empleada, se escogió un enfoque cualitativo, de tipo aplicada, de diseño no experimental y de nivel exploratorio; limitando a analizar la opinión de seis docentes especialistas en las materias de economías, finanzas y de derecho, de cinco usuarios y cinco no usuarios de Bitcoin con el propósito de obtener respuesta al fenómeno de estudio. La técnica empleada es la entrevista y como instrumento la guía de entrevista de adaptación propia validada por expertos, posteriormente la información obtenida fue revisada e interpretada, donde se llegó a la conclusión que el uso del Bitcoin como medio de pago en el Perú es nulo y no viable de momento debido a una gran serie de factores como la falta de regulaciones monetarias y legales, de igual modo la no necesidad por parte de los peruanos de colocar en circulación un nuevo medio de pago como lo es el Bitcoin. / The main objective of this research work is to analyze the use of Bitcoin as a payment method in the Perú. Bitcoin is a digital currency or cryptocurrency this is intangible and virtual that serves as a means of exchanging goods and services like any other any currency in the world where it is accepted, it as such does not have a serial number or other mechanism that allows track sellers and buyers using this electronic currency. Regarding the methodology used, a qualitative approach was chosen, of an applied type, with a non-experimental design and an exploratory level; limiting to analyze the opinion of six professors specialized in the subjects of economics, finance and law, of five users and five non-users of Bitcoin with the purpose of obtaining a response to the study phenomenon. The technique used is the interview and as an instrument the self-adapted interview guide validated by experts, subsequently the information obtained was then reviewed and interpreted, where it was concluded that the use of Bitcoin as a means of payment in Peru is null and void and not viable at the moment due to a number of factors such as the lack of monetary and legal regulations, as well as the lack of need for Peruvians to put into circulation a new means of payment such as Bitcoin.

Submitted by Adriana Alves Rodrigues (aalves@espm.br) on 2018-10-04T16:08:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tabata_alves_ferreiravfinal_capa.pdf: 1312792 bytes, checksum: e19b9bf15fa909eb53b94f79214c0868 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Alves Rodrigues (aalves@espm.br) on 2018-10-04T16:09:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 tabata_alves_ferreiravfinal_capa.pdf: 1312792 bytes, checksum: e19b9bf15fa909eb53b94f79214c0868 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Debora Cristina Bonfim Aquarone (deborabonfim@espm.br) on 2018-10-04T18:47:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 tabata_alves_ferreiravfinal_capa.pdf: 1312792 bytes, checksum: e19b9bf15fa909eb53b94f79214c0868 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-04T18:47:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tabata_alves_ferreiravfinal_capa.pdf: 1312792 bytes, checksum: e19b9bf15fa909eb53b94f79214c0868 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-24 / The dynamics of the payment card market is linked to a number of factors, including socioeconomic and institutional factors, in this work expressed by the economic and government regulation of countries. Because it is an industry subject to market, government interventions tend to be necessary for better functioning of the sector. The objective of this study is to study the relationship between and government regulation with the development of the countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The method of adopted is based on a panel data regression model. The bases used are from secondary data extracted from The Heritage Foundation and Euromonitor International, as well as information collected from the Central Banks and electronic media of these countries, between 2002 and 2016. The results obtained with the fixed effects model allow us to conclude that the variables Socioeconomic variables, per capita GDP and Gini index have statistical significance and affect payment card transactions in the countries studied here, the institutional variables "Economic Freedom (EF)", "Government Regulation (REG), have no effect on the growth of card transactions in the countries studied during the period considered in this analysis. / A dinâmica do mercado de cartões de pagamento está ligada a diversos fatores, incluindo socioeconômicos e institucionais, nesse trabalho expressos pela liberdade econômica e regulação governamental dos países. Por se tratar de uma indústria sujeita a falhas de mercado, intervenções governamentais tendem a ser necessárias para um melhor funcionamento do setor. O objetivo desse trabalho é estudar a relação entre liberdade econômica e regulação governamental com o desenvolvimento do mercado de cartões de pagamento dos países: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colômbia, México e Peru. O método de pesquisa adotado baseia-se em um modelo de regressão de dados em painel. As bases utilizadas são de dados secundários extraídos da The Heritage Foundation e da Euromonitor International, assim como informações coletadas dos Bancos Centrais e das mídias sociais eletrônicas desses países, no período entre 2002 e 2016. Os resultados obtidos com o modelo de efeitos fixos permitem concluir que as variáveis socioeconômicas PIB Per Capita e Índice de Gini têm significância estatística e afetam o crescimento das transações com cartões de pagamento nos países aqui estudados, porém as variáveis institucionais “Liberdade Econômica (EF)”, “Regulação Governamental (REG), não apresentam nenhum efeito sobre o crescimento das transações com cartões de pagamento nos países estudados durante o período considerado nessa análise.

Historien om betalningsmedel vänder under 2010-talet blad och börjar på ett nyttkapitel. Nästa steg i den monetära utvecklingen sker när de virtuella valutorna ökar ianvändning. Den virtuella valutan Bitcoin introducerades av Satoshi Nakamato år2009 och är en digital valuta, vilket innebär att den inte är kopplad till någon fysisktillgång med rättslig innebörd. När ett nytt betalningsmedel introduceras ärfundamentala faktorer gällande samhällets acceptans och nyttjande ett ekonomisktpussel. Hur kommer det sig att individer byter verkliga varor mot en papperssedel, ettmynt eller en elektronisk signal? Att inneha och aktivt använda nya betalningsmedelsom virtuella valutor medför risker som många inte är bekanta vid. Organisationeroch konsumenter som öppnar upp portarna för nya betalningsmedel måste ha kunskapom dess konsekvenser, både positiva och negativa. Studien syftar till att belysa derisker som uppstår när nya betalningsmedel som Bitcoin gör entré. Forskningsfrågankring vilka risker innehav och nyttjande av virtuella valutor medför besvaras genomen kvalitativ analys av främst forskningsartiklar. Vår studie tyder på att riskerna kringvirtuella valutor som Bitcoin relaterar till förtroende för betalningsmedlet. De flestariskerna uppstår vid innehav av Bitcoin och relaterar inte till tekniska faktorer. / The history of means of payment is taking new shape during the 2010:th decade andstarts on a new chapter. The next step in the monetary evolution will take place oncevirtual currencies become more frequently used. The virtual currency called Bitcoinwas introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto in the year of 2009 and is a digital currency,which means that it is not connected to a physical good with a forensic purpose.When a new mean of payment is introduced fundamental factors regarding theacceptance of society and utilization becomes a financial puzzle. How can it be thatindividuals exchange physical goods for a paper bill, a coin or just somethingelectronic? To possess Bitcoin and to use new means of payment on a frequent basisbring risks many users are not familiar with. Organizations and consumers whomopen up their gates to new means of payment need to gain knowledge ofconsequences both positive and negative. The purpose of this study is to highlight theaforementioned risks, which arise from the fact that new means of payment likeBitcoin is introduced. The research issue regarding which risks may arise frompossession and usage of virtual currencies are concluded by a qualitative analysisresearch containing mostly scientific articles. Our study depicts that the risksassociated with virtual currencies like Bitcoin, are all somehow related to the trust forthe specific mean of payment. Most risks arise from actually possessing a Bitcoin andhence not as much related to the technological element.

Submitted by Bruna Jachemet (brunajachemet@hotmail.com) on 2018-04-10T01:03:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC_Capa Azul Com ficha.pdf: 2382551 bytes, checksum: 7e4dfb147058e68cf91e4e316384c39b (MD5) / Rejected by Thais Oliveira (thais.oliveira@fgv.br), reason: Prezada Bruna, boa noite. Para que possamos aprovar sua dissertação, serão necessárias as seguintes alterações: - Títulos da tese e das páginas (agradecimentos, sumário, resumo, abstract) devem estar em letra maiúscula e NEGRITO); - Seu nome, e o da Escola, também em negrito. Por gentileza, alterar e submeter novamente. Obrigada. on 2018-04-11T22:17:44Z (GMT) / Submitted by Bruna Jachemet (brunajachemet@hotmail.com) on 2018-04-12T00:49:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC_Capa Azul Com ficha_com nova regra FGV.pdf: 2382745 bytes, checksum: 0ab0dc0e35c50a19d1a3d88c37a77775 (MD5) / Rejected by Thais Oliveira (thais.oliveira@fgv.br), reason: Bruna, boa noite! O título COMPLETO do seu trabalho "A REGULAÇÃO DOS PAGAMENTOS ELETRÔNICOS: interoperabilidade e desafios jurídicos" deve estar em letra maiúscula (A REGULAÇÃO DOS PAGAMENTOS ELETRÔNICOS: INTEROPERABILIDADE E DESAFIOS JURÍDICOS). Por gentileza, alterar e submeter novamente para que possamos aprová-lo. Obrigada! on 2018-04-12T21:10:11Z (GMT) / Submitted by Bruna Jachemet (brunajachemet@hotmail.com) on 2018-04-13T20:17:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC_Capa Azul Com ficha_com nova regra FGV_segunda alteracao.pdf: 2382796 bytes, checksum: 5acf03d8c1c891763f10a56be7aa758d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Thais Oliveira (thais.oliveira@fgv.br) on 2018-04-16T19:00:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC_Capa Azul Com ficha_com nova regra FGV_segunda alteracao.pdf: 2382796 bytes, checksum: 5acf03d8c1c891763f10a56be7aa758d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-04-17T13:22:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC_Capa Azul Com ficha_com nova regra FGV_segunda alteracao.pdf: 2382796 bytes, checksum: 5acf03d8c1c891763f10a56be7aa758d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-17T13:22:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC_Capa Azul Com ficha_com nova regra FGV_segunda alteracao.pdf: 2382796 bytes, checksum: 5acf03d8c1c891763f10a56be7aa758d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-16 / Os pagamentos eletrônicos são aqueles realizados por meio de redes de tecnologia, como os pagamentos por cartão de crédito. Os arranjos de pagamento foram regulados pelo Banco Central do Brasil a partir do ano de 2013. Um dos princípios trazidos pela regulação é o da interoperabilidade, que consiste, no âmbito da tecnologia, na capacidade de interconexão e interação entre dispositivos e redes. O presente estudo é fundamentado na teoria de interoperabilidade e na análise da conceituação e da aplicação da interoperabilidade no âmbito dos arranjos de pagamento. O ponto de partida do estudo é a análise histórica sobre os meios de pagamentos eletrônicos, com o objetivo de ilustrar o cenário que levou à regulação desses meios no Brasil. São examinados os diferentes tipos de arranjos de pagamento e, na sequência, a composição dos arranjos de pagamento e os papéis de cada ator os compõe. A rede de contratos que se estabelece entre esses atores é também examinada, a fim de compreender a interação e a distribuição de responsabilidades entre os componentes dos arranjos de pagamento. A partir dessa contextualização, é possível avaliar como ocorre a interoperabilidade no âmbito dos arranjos de pagamento. O conceito de interoperabilidade é abordado à luz da teoria da interoperabilidade, do conceito da regulação e de exemplos. São avaliados os diferentes tipos de interoperabilidade para ilustrar as formas como esta ocorre, seus benefícios e seus riscos, assim como possíveis impactos sobre a concorrência e a inovação. São examinadas as referências à interoperabilidade na legislação brasileira e a regulação da interoperabilidade nos pagamentos eletrônicos, bem como são mapeadas as disputas entre as diferentes intepretações sobre o conceito de interoperabilidade nos pagamentos eletrônicos. O objetivo é, ao final do trabalho, avaliar a adoção da interoperabilidade em observância à teoria da interoperabilidade e aos fundamentos da regulação, assim como perquirir os possíveis impactos da interoperabilidade na inovação e na concorrência nos meios de pagamento eletrônicos. / Electronic payments are those made through technology networks, such as credit card payments. The payment networks – so called payment arrangements – were regulated by the Brazilian Central Bank from the year 2013. One of the principles brought about by regulation is the interoperability one, which consists, in the ​​technology field, in the ability to interconnect and interact between devices and networks. This study is based on interoperability theory and the analysis of the conceptualization and application of interoperability in the context of payment arrangements. The starting point of the study is the historical analysis of the means of electronic payments with the objective of illustrate the scenario that led to the regulation of electronic payment means in Brazil. The different types of payment arrangements and, subsequently, the composition of the payment arrangements and the roles of each actor that composes them are examined. The network of contracts that is established between these actors is also examined in order to understand the interaction and distribution of responsibilities between the components of the payment arrangements. From this contextualization, it is possible to assess how interoperability occurs in the context of payment arrangements. The concept of interoperability is approached from the theory of interoperability, the concept of regulation and examples. The different types of interoperability are analyzed to illustrate how it occurs, its benefits and risks, as well as possible impacts on competition and innovation. The references to interoperability in Brazilian legislation, and the regulation of interoperability in electronic payments are analyzed, and the disputes and concept among the different interpretations on the concept of interoperability in electronic payments are mapped. At the end of the paper, the objective is to evaluate the adoption of interoperability in accordance with the theory of interoperability and the fundamentals of regulation, as well as to investigate the possible impacts of interoperability on innovation and competition in electronic payment means.

Under de senaste åren har kryptovalutor som Bitcoin blivit alltmer populära och genererat stor uppmärksamhet inom finansiella och tekniska kretsar. Trots den ökande populariteten och intresset för kryptovalutor som investeringsobjekt och spekulativt instrument, är deras användning som betalningsmedel fortfarande begränsad. Det finns flera faktorer som kan påverka användares acceptans av kryptovalutor för transaktioner, inklusive osäkerhet kring säkerhet och integritet, brist på reglering och stabilitet, och begränsad acceptans hos handlare och serviceleverantörer. Studiens syfte avser att undersöka varför kryptovaluta som betalningsmedel inte fått genomslag på den svenska marknaden, och de attityder som ligger till grund för detta. Till val av metod har triangulering använts för att samla in data genom vetenskapliga artiklar, enkäter och intervjuer. Fokus har legat på att få en förståelse för användare av kryptovalutor. Genom att engagera användarna direkt har vi haft möjlighet att lyssna på deras åsikter, erfarenheter och attityder på en djupare nivå. Genom att undersöka användares uppfattningar om att använda kryptovalutor som betalningsmedel, kan vi belysa viktiga insikter som kan forma framtida utveckling och acceptans av kryptovalutor. Samtliga data analyseras med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Resultatet som framställdes var att informationen kring kryptovalutor framstår i sin helhet som bristfällig. Genom att nå ökad förståelse kan man öka intresset och användningen av teknologin. Genom att undersöka och analysera olika aspekter av kryptovalutors acceptans och användning som betalningsmedel har vi identifierat flera viktiga faktorer som påverkar människors beslut att använda denna teknologi. Bland de främsta faktorerna är kunskap om kryptovalutor, uppfattningar om säkerhet och integritet, acceptans hos företag och serviceleverantörer, samt fördelarna med snabba och enkla transaktioner. Samtidigt har vi noterat att bristande kunskap och osäkerhet kring kryptovalutor kan vara en bromsande faktor för deras acceptans. För att öka användningen av kryptovalutor som betalningsmedel bör det finnas en kombination av utbildning, reglering, acceptans och incitament för användare. Detta kommer att underlätta för människor att fatta informerade beslut om sina ekonomiska transaktioner och främja en hållbar och säker användning av kryptovalutor. / In recent years, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become increasingly popular and generated a lot of attention in financial and technology circles. Despite the increasing popularity and interest in cryptocurrencies as an investment and speculative instrument, their use as a means of payment is still limited. There are several factors that can affect user acceptance of cryptocurrencies for transactions, including uncertainty about security and privacy, lack of regulation and stability, and limited acceptance by merchants and service providers. The purpose of the study is to investigate why cryptocurrencies haven’t break through as a payment method on the Swedish market, and what attitudes that contributes to this. We have used triangulation as a method to collect data through scientific articles, surveys, and interviews. The focus has been on gaining an understanding of cryptocurrency users. By engaging the users directly, we have had the opportunity to listen to their opinions, experiences, and attitudes on a deeper level. By examining users' perceptions of using cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, we can emphasize important insights that can shape the future development and acceptance of cryptocurrencies. All data is analyzed using content analysis. The information about cryptocurrencies appears to be deficient. By achieving increased understanding, interest and use of the technology can be increased. By researching and analyzing various aspects of cryptocurrency acceptance and use as a means of payment, we have identified several important factors that influence people's decisions to use this technology. Among the main factors are knowledge of cryptocurrencies, perceptions of security and privacy, acceptance by businesses and service providers, and the benefits of fast and easy transactions. At the same time, we have noted that lack of knowledge and uncertainty surrounding cryptocurrencies can be a slowing factor for their acceptance. To increase the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, there should be a combination of education, regulation, acceptance, and incentives for users. This will facilitate people to make informed decisions about their financial transactions and promote the sustainable and safe use of cryptocurrencies.

Market Liquidity, Active Investment, and Markets for Information. This paper studies a financial market in which investors choose among investment strategies that exploit information about different fundamentals. On the one hand, the presence of other informed investors generates illiquidity. On the other hand, investors who use different strategies can serve as quasi-noise traders for each other, thereby also supplying each other with liquidity. Thus, investment strategies can be substitutes or complements. Such externalities in information acquisition have effects on investor herding, comovement in prices and liquidity across assets, trade volume, and the informational role of prices. They further affect the relationship between financial markets and information markets. Information market competition fosters investor diversity, whereas monopoly power promotes investor herding. Also, in order to benefit from quasi-noise trading, a financial institution may engage in both proprietary trading and information sales. Security-Voting Structure and Bidder Screening. This paper shows that non-voting shares can promote takeovers. When the bidder has private information, shareholders may refuse to tender because they suspect to sell at an ex-post unfavourable price. The ensuing friction in the sale of cash flow rights can prevent an efficient sale of control. Separating cash flow and voting rights mitigates this externality, thereby facilitating takeovers. In fact, the fraction of non-voting shares can be used to discriminate between efficient and inefficient bidders. The optimal fraction decreases with managerial ability, implying an inverse relationship between firm value and non-voting shares. As non-voting shares increase control contestability, share reunification programs entrench managers of widely held firms, whereas dual-class recapitalizations can increase shareholder wealth. Signaling in Tender Offer Games. This paper examines whether a bidder can use the terms of the tender offer to signal the post-takeover security benefits to the shareholders of a widely held target firm. As atomistic shareholders extract all the gains in security benefits, signaling equilibria are subject to a constraint that is absent from bilateral trade models. The buyer (bidder) must enjoy gains from trade that are excluded from bargaining (private benefits), but can nonetheless be relinquished and enable shareholders to draw inference about the security benefits. Restricted bids and cash-equity offers do not satisfy these requirements. Dilution, debt financing, probabilistic takeover outcomes and toeholds are all viable signals because they make bidder gains depend on the security benefits in a predictable manner. In all the signaling equilibria, lower-valued types must forgo a larger fraction of their private benefits and these signaling costs prevent some takeovers. When the bidder has additional private information about the private benefits as in the case of two-dimensional bidder types, fully revealing equilibria cease to exist. This does not hold once bidders can offer not only cash or equity but also (more) elaborate contingent claims. Offers which include options avoid inefficiencies and implement the symmetric information outcome. Goldrush Dynamics of Private Equity. This paper presents a simple dynamic model of entry and exit in a private equity market with heterogeneous private equity firms, a depletable stock of target companies, and rational learning about investment profitability. The predictions of the model match a number of stylized facts: Aggregate fund activity follows waves with endogenous transitions from boom to bust. Supply and demand in the private equity market are inelastic, and the supply comoves with investment valuations. High industry performance precedes high entry, which in turn precedes low industry performance. There are persistent differences in fund performance across private equity firms, first-time funds underperform the industry, and first-time funds raised in booms are unlikely to be succeeded by a follow-on fund. Fund performance and fund size are positively correlated across firms, but negatively correlated across consecutive funds of a private equity firm. Finally, booms can make ”too much capital chase too few deals.” Reputable Friends as Watchdogs: Social Ties and Governance. To examine how governance is affected when a designated supervisor befriends the person to be supervised, this paper embeds a delegated monitoring problem in a social structure: the supervisor and the agent are friends, and the supervisor desires to be socially recognized for having integrity. Strengthening the friendship weakens the supervisor’s monitoring incentives, forging an alliance against the principal (bonding). But the agent also grows more reluctant to put the supervisor’s perceived integrity at risk, thus becoming more aligned with the principal (bridging). If the supervisor’s desire for social recognition is strong, the principal’s preferences regarding the supervisor-agent friendship are bipolar. Weak friendship makes the supervisor monitor intensively to save face. Strong friendship leads the supervisor to abandon monitoring but the agent to behave well in order to protect the supervisor from losing face. The strength of friendship necessary for the latter outcome decreases in the supervisor’s desire for esteem; that is, image concerns leverage the bridging effect of friendship. This suggests that overlapping personal and professional ties can enhance delegated governance in cultures or contexts where social recognition is important, and provides a novel perspective on issues related to crony capitalism, corporate governance, and organizational culture. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2009 Sammanfattning jämte 5 uppsatser