Author(s): Reinhard H. Schmidt, Santiago Carbo Valderde, Rym Ayadi, Emrah Arbak, Francisco Rodriguez Fernandez
In: Financial Markets, Researchers’ work published externally
Date: 20 May 2010
Pages: 221

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This book is a Spanish translation of a major study conducted by CEPS in 2008, with the aim of investigating the merits of a diverse banking system with a special focus on the performance and role of savings banks in selected European countries where they are still prominent (Austria, Germany and Spain) and where they have progressively disappeared (Belgium and Italy). The theoretical and empirical arguments that are developed in this book tend to support the view that it is economically and socially beneficial to have ‘dual bottom-line’ institutions, such as savings banks. For those who accept this premise, it would suggest that policy-makers should not take or support actions that could jeopardise this valuable element of the financial system in various countries in Europe and of the emerging integrated European financial system.

The translation was done by Fundación de las cajas de ahorros (FUNCAS)