The recent financial crisis has brought to light the serious challenges that the European financial services sector is facing. What are the prospects of a viable, more resilient financial industry emerging from the crisis? To answer this question, we need to look at the economic trends in the banking and insurance industries and examine the results of the debate on the regulation of financial markets. Also, a look at the business models that are applied in the different segments of the financial sector as a response to the crisis can help to map the future of the sector. From the present viewpoint, it appears very probable that different approaches will compete in the near future and there will be no clear decision about which is the superior model. The coming years will be a period of testing at the business level as well as at the level of public regulation.
Financial Services: challenges and prospects - Case studies:
The three case studies presented above were conducted using published material from companies, like annual reports, press releases and, especially, reports of rating agencies. The companies investigated in the case studies did not agree to site visits and interviews (for a more detailed explanation of the methodology applied, please refer to the methodology report).
The case studies have not undergone the complete editorial process of Eurofound and are presented in the format provided by the authors.