Report on the structure of ownership in the financial sector across the EU

The purpose of this report is to analyse the structure of ownership in the financial sector in the selected old (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom) and new (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) EU Member States. This subject is particularly important to the proper understanding of the scale and scope of the process of financialisation in the EU countries. General objective of the report is the investigation and evaluation of the evolution of the structure of ownership in the financial sector across the EU and its consequences with the special consideration of relations between this process and withdrawal of the State from the financial sector. In order to accomplish this target, extensive research is undertaken. It encompasses the analysis of the types of financial institutions functioning in selected countries. Areas of competition, cooperation and interdependence between different types of financial institutions are identified, as well as similarities and differences in the present composition and structure of the financial sector in particular EU countries and factors behind inter-country differences. Finally, comparative analysis of evolution of structure of financial sector and its driving forces in particular countries and group of countries is presented.