The introduction of a common currency as well as the harmonization of rules and regulations in Europe has significantly reduced distance in all its guises. With shrunken costs of overcoming space, this emphasizes centripetal forces and it should foster consolidation of financial activity. In a...

[fre] L’introduction d’une monnaie unique et l’harmonisation de la réglementation en Europe ont considérablement réduit les distances, dans tous les sens du terme. Avec la réduction des coûts que cela entraîne, des forces centripètes ont été mises en branle et devraient pousser à...

[eng] Cooperative sector banks in Germany : building on an eroding comparative advantage ? . Cooperative sector banks have been generally perceived as one of the three pillars of German (universal) banking. Over the last decade, however, a debate about the future of cooperative sector banks has...