The present study conducts an economic assessment of the impact financial services liberalization on foreign bank presence, in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It focuses on how the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) affects foreign direct investment (FDI) of commercial banks. For this purpose, an empirical model is developed to test how country-specific locational factors, as well as membership to the GATS and regional trade agreements (RTAs) affect commercial banking FDI. The model is run with FDI flow data for selected GATS signatories during 1990-2004, a period in which membership to several RTAs, as well as progress in GATS liberalization was observed. The findings show there is a strong positive relation between commercial banking FDI and a set of locational factors. Further evidence on the impact of membership to some RTAs in the country sample is found. However, no evidence on the positive impact of GATS liberalization on FDI is found. Considering the results, countries seeking to attract greater FDI will fare better if they improve their location factor conditions unilaterally. The value of the GATS for the present rests on its binding effect on the current level of liberalization. Future trade rounds may bring more promising results for financial services; given that the built-in progressive liberalization agenda of the GATS is an ongoing process.