McDowell's study is titled "Lending Tree: Understanding Chinese Bank Branch Growth in Foreign Markets.” China’s four largest banks are setting up shop abroad. In 2020, these big state-owned banks actively managed over 500 foreign brick-and-mortar locations, up from fewer than 100 in 2007. His study will explore what is behind Chinese bank expansion abroad while probing the implications of branch presence in these markets.

The project will focus on the links between the the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and branch locations while also considering how branch presence may affect the use of China’s currency in cross-border trade settlement. Growing influence for Chinese banks around the world would mean increased competition for U.S. financial institutions in those markets. In time, this could lead to a diminished role for the dollar in these economies, weakening the effectiveness of U.S. financial sanctions.

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