The state of saving and its function within the economy also depend on the health of the financial system, which is central in putting its formation in relation with its utilization, in distributing funds from place to place and from today to tomorrow, ensuring that funds reach those who deserve them and removing liquidity constraints.
The Italian financial system has not suffered from the hypertrophy, the periods of tumultuous expansion, that in other countries were conducive to improper behaviour and generated uncontrollable imbalances. In 2011 the assets held by financial institutions were worth 3.5 times GDP in Italy, 6 times GDP in the euro area as a whole, 14.5 times in the United Kingdom and 23 times in Ireland.