Resilience of United Kingdom financial institutions to major uncertainty: A network analysis related to the Credit Default Swaps market

The banking sector plays an important role in the UK economy as a whole, and investors are increasingly concerned about the ability of UK-based banks to withstand the consequences of major uncertainty such as the Brexit. This paper investigates the UK financial system resilience using networks of relationships related to the Credit Default Swap market. We propose a detailed descriptive analysis of the topology of the networks, and characterize the nature of relationships between financial institutions. We compare our results with theoretical network configurations (small-worlds, preferential attachments, etc.) to reveal the connection dynamics of the networks we identify. We then develop a panel analysis including variables of centrality and influence of banks in their networks. We identify prominent banks and groups of banks that could disrupt the system. Our results help identify priority areas of action by regulators and risk managers.