We investigate the extent to which crime, and the inability to effectively suppress it, affect the performance of local banks in terms of credit extension, asset quality, and profitability. The analysis focuses on cooperative banks in Italy, typically small institutions with strong ties to their...

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between local banking and prosperity at the municipal level in Italy from 2011 to 2021. The latter variable is measured using an index proposed by Sen (1976). The analysis is based on panel regressions including a measure of local banking...

With their large, often unparalleled, retail outreach to otherwise underserved areas and populations, Cooperative Financial Institutions (CFIs) have significant potential to deepen financial inclusion in rural and marginal urban areas. Greater financial access (savings, credits, payments, among...