Without such progress, we might never have been able to reach the point where we now stand: on the verge of achieving a solid footing for the revitalization of our economy. The more than ten years following the bursting of the bubble have often been termed the “lost decade”. They were longer than expected, but may have been necessary to achieve the step-by-step reforms.
BIS Review 43/2004  1  B. Roles of financial services in the future  We must keep forging ahead because, from now on, both firms and financial institutions will need to continuously improve their competitiveness to create new business value. Firms’ operating environments are changing significantly.