Cooperative banking in Europe today: Conclusions

Abstract

This chapter summarises the main trends that have affected cooperative banks from the beginning of the crisis, in particular as concerns tightening regulation, structural low return on traditional banking services and increasing digitalisation. While underlying the necessity to restore profitability as a fundamental prerequisite to sustain their way of doing banking, a few elements are also discussed in the light of further adapting the cooperative banks’ business models. In this respect, it is argued that a structured discussion should be launched as concerns the possibility to (1) rethink the concept of proximity, (2) embrace the policy movement supporting sustainability, (3) improve the way the cooperative difference in banking is communicated and (4) seize the possibilities of digitalisation and not leave the lead to fintech.