Co-operative Banking Networks in Europe, 1st ed. 2019 Models and Performance Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions Series

Over the past 20 years, the increased dominance in banking of the shareholder ownership model, whose main purpose is to maximize financial returns for shareholders, has proved to be a toxic combination with the financial deregulation the sector has undergone, the creation of new financial instruments and the concomitant rising levels of debt. Despite the growing role of private limited-liability banks around the world, co-operative banking still offers a compelling alternative, especially in Europe where the roots of co-operative institutions date back to the nineteenth century.

This book studies the characteristics of different co-operative banking models of networks across several European countries to assess their impact on the profitability and resilience of the networks and their co-operative components. To date, empirical studies have neglected to examine the features of the networks to which co-operative banks belong. Surprisingly, there is little evidence on the extent to which the diverse organizational network structures determine differences in the profits and stability of  individual banks and their networks across different countries. The principal objective of this book is to fill this gap in the literature. The European countries considered are Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. In these countries, co-operative banks constitute a significant presence although the organizational forms their networks take are quite different. Focusing on this sample of European countries therefore affords insights and reveals policy implications about the role that network organizations play in driving the performances of co-operative banks, which will be of interest to academics, researchers, and students of banking and financial institutions.

Chapter 2. Co-operative banking networks: rationalities and models

Chapter 3. Co-operative banking in Austria

Chapter 4. Co-operative banking in Finland

Chapter 5. Co-operative banking in France

Chapter 6. Co-operative banking in Germany

Chapter 7. Co-operative banking in Italy

Chapter 8. Co-operative banking in the Netherlands

Chapter 9. The performance of co-operative banking networks and the challenges they face

Federica Poli is an Associate Professor of Banking and Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy, where she is Director of the undergraduate degree in Service Management and of the MA in International Trade Management. She is the author of publications in national and international academic journals and books on the topic of bank management and financial intermediation.

Provides an updated understanding of co-operative banking in European countries where bank business models are largely widespread and hold significant market share

Showcases a novel analysis of the performances of these banks before and after the global financial crisis, considering their different forms of networking

Features Austrian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, and Italian co-operative banking systems