Milos Tumpach

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis on the topic of public policy and financial regulation in preventing and combating financial fraud using a variety of bibliometric methods and tools, including the in-built tools of Scopus by Elsevier (SciVal) and Web of Science by Clarivate Analytics, as well as VOSviewer software. The most relevant publications related to the search terms were identified. Based on the results, a map illustrating the interrelationships of concepts such as “financial fraud,” “public policy,” and “financial regulation” with other categories was created, allowing for the identification of five clusters, each of which was characterized in detail. The results of the evolutionary and temporal analysis of scientific research showed that before 2000, scholars focused on the legislative aspects of combating financial fraud; from 2000 to 2015, on risk management and the impact of financial fraud on economic growth; from 2016 to the present, on the search for methods and tools to detect and combat financial fraud. The spatial analysis confirmed a predominantly intercontinental connection between researchers. The comparison of subject areas demonstrated the interdisciplinary nature of the study, with a predominant focus on the fields of “computer science” and “economics, econometrics, and finance,” which is logical considering the economic nature and the ongoing technological transformation of financial fraud. The results can be utilized to develop new strategies, policies, and legislative initiatives to ensure financial integrity and increase confidence in financial systems.

Acknowledgment
This study is funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and contains the results of the projects No. 0123U101945 “National security of Ukraine through prevention of financial fraud and money laundering: War and post-war challenges”, 0121U109559 “National security through the convergence of financial monitoring systems and cyber security: Intelligent modelling of financial market regulation mechanisms” and by the Vega Agency No. 1/0638/23.

Local and global financial crises are caused by a wide range of geopolitical, macro-financial, and socio-economic determinants. The purpose of this study is to assess the role of central bank independence in preventing financial crises and mitigating their consequences. Two hypotheses were tested. A measure of the banking regulator independence is the CWN index of the central bank independence. The hypotheses were tested on data from 53 countries suffering from financial crises over the last 40 years (the sample includes both developed and developing countries from different continents). The tools of nonlinear logit regression (modeling the probability of loss of financial stability due to a financial crisis, considering different levels of the banking regulator independence) and panel regression with random effects (modeling the influence of the banking regulator independence on banking activities during crisis periods) were used for calculations. The study did not confirm that a high level of central bank independence is a necessary condition for preventing the occurrence of financial crises in the national economy. On the contrary, the likelihood of financial instability was found to be higher in countries with more independent central banks. Thus, during crisis periods, an increase in the CWN index by 1 ensures an increase in the regulatory capital adequacy parameter by an average of 0.28%, a decrease in return on assets by 0.59%, and an increase in the share of non-performing loans by 1.69%.

In the context of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), management decisions regarding asset allocation play a key role in determining the strategic value of intangible assets. This study investigates the allocation of such assets, particularly goodwill, in relation to enterprise value on balance sheets across global M&A transactions within the B2C sector from 2000 to 2021. Utilizing data from the Markables database, which includes 543 transactions, this study presents robust and quantile regression analyses to effectively address challenges arising from non-normally distributed data. The findings underscore a significant correlation between the strategic allocation of intangible assets, especially goodwill, and enterprise value, highlighting their essential role in reflecting future earning potential and growth prospects. Additionally, the study reveals specific factors, including transaction type (asset vs. share deals) and timing (transaction year), that influence these asset allocation decisions. These insights are critical for enhancing management decisions in valuation and strategic financial planning during M&A. By elucidating these dynamics, this paper significantly contributes to the literature on management accounting and corporate finance, offering a granular understanding of the valuation of intangible assets in business combinations.

Acknowledgment
This study emerged from a cooperative project between the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein (Austria) and the University of Economics in Bratislava (Slovakia) 2023-05-15-003 “Enhancing long-term business value towards environmentally and socially sustainable economy,” which was funded by the performance committee of the Austria-Slovakia Action initiative.