A trend common to virtually all European banking markets over the last decade or so has been the fall in bank numbers … is declining. However, a growth in branch numbers in many systems, increasing foreign bank presence, as well as the … any risks for consumers. The paper concludes with some observations on the impact of mergers on bank performance. Economic …

mutual recognition have cleared the road for cross-border banking, while the introduction of the single currency on the first …

industry shows the apparent importance of a national currency. For instance, the markets for pension funds and mutual fund … introduction of a common currency changes fundamentally the sources of competitive advantage of banks. Clearly, this calls for a …