The literature on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has advanced several explanations of the links between financial market developments and FDI inflows across developing as well as developed countries. Empirical literature show that financial market development reduces informational frictions and improves resource allocation more efficiently. Also, financial systems are important for both productivity and development, where a better developed financial systems can receive more benefit from FDI and its inflows depend on condition of host country and their characteristics. The paper tries to examine and compare the relationship between foreign direct investment and local financial market development across oil exporting and importing emerging market economies by using VAR panel model during 1970-2014. The results show that there is a relationship between financial market development and FDI and financial development indicators are causality for FDI, particularly banking system indicators. Moreover, banking system is more important and efficient in oil importing countries than oil exporting countries to attract FDI from abroad. JEL Classification: F21, P45, O16, G1.
