Intensive international activity of banks caused by fairly recently lifted financial restrictions in many countries has been a subject of great scientific interest ever since. The article describes various short-term consequences of foreign bank penetration in the financial markets of some of the regions of the world. The authors pay specific attention to the reasons and modes of foreign bank entry in emerging market and transition market economies as well as to the differences in the impact of such entry on the stability and efficiency of financial systems and economies of the countries of Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. Research methods: systemic, comparative and logical analysis.