Silicon Valley Bank Collapse: Shockwaves Through the Tech Industry and a Reminder of the Risks of Banking
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) last Friday has caused shockwaves throughout the tech industry. Founded in 1983 to serve the emerging California tech world, SVB had become the go-to bank for nearly half of all venture-backed tech startups and many in the healthcare sector. With over $200 billion in assets, it was the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history since the Financial Crisis of 2008.[0]
At the heart of SVB's collapse was its reliance on a single, narrowly-defined sector, a risk it was able to take advantage of due to being just under the threshold for heightened federal regulation. This risk exposure was compounded by the fact that SVB had a large number of large and uninsured depositors, meaning that when things started to go south, depositors had a huge incentive to panic and withdraw their funds. The bank’s bid to raise capital failed, and regulators swiftly intervened.[1]
The failure of SVB has also highlighted the lack of protection for uninsured depositors.[2] The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) protects any customer with up to $250,000, but not above that limit.[3] This can leave large depositors vulnerable to losses in the event of a bank failure.
President Joe Biden has sought to assure the public that the banking system is sound, but the collapse of SVB serves as a reminder that risk is always present in the banking system.[4] It also highlights the need for banks to diversify their investments and for customers to be aware of the risks involved in keeping large sums of money in any single financial institution.
0. “How does a bank collapse in 48 hours? A timeline of the SVB fall” CNN, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/11/business/svb-bank-collapse-explainer-timeline/index.html
1. “Why Investors Should Care About the Banking Scare” Morningstar, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.morningstar.com/articles/1144082/why-investors-should-care-about-the-banking-scare
2. “Bank collapse throws a chill over clean energy industry” POLITICO, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/14/svb-implosion-climate-tech-on-edge-00086890
3. “Behind the Venture Capitalist Bailout” The American Prospect, 15 Mar. 2023, https://prospect.org/economy/2023-03-15-qa-daniel-davies-venture-capitalist-bailout/
4. “How Do Bank Rescues In India Fare Versus The U.S.?” BQ Prime, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.bqprime.com/opinion/how-do-bank-rescues-in-india-fare-versus-the-us
