When expanding abroad, a multinational bank faces a trade-o¤ between accessing a foreign country via cross border lending or a …nancial foreign direct investment, i.e. green…eld or acquisition entry. We analyze the entry mode choice of multinational banks and explicitly derive the entry mode pattern in the banking industry. Moreover, we show that in less developed banking markets, a trend towards cross border lending and acquisition entry exists. Green…eld entry prevails in more developed markets. Furthermore, we identify a tendency towards acquisition entry in small and towards green…eld entry in larger host countries.JEL classi…cation: F37, G21, G34, L13, O16