The financial crisis of 2007/08 was caused by a market failure that led
to macroeconomically costly government bailouts, caused by the inherent
fragility and complexity of the banking system. The resulting implicit
state guarantee was anticipated by market participants and distorted
risk pricing and market behavior. The aim of recent European regulatory
initiatives has been to counteract this phenomenon, known as Too Big To
Fail, through the financial participation of those very same market
participants. This thesis examines whether the newly created bail-in
instrument under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) makes
a promising and credible contribution towards remedying distorted market
discipline and costly bailout practice.