With wide coverage of e-payment, in particular mobile payment, basic financial services are now available across the whole country. Even in the most remote areas, every adult has his or her own bank account. China now ranks high in terms of the coverage and volume of mobile payments. This enables real time processing of deposit, withdrawal and remittance.
If so, the start of this new decade could be a moment when a new European character emerges – a moment when we recapture the pioneering spirit that led this region to become a centre of European trade, of European finance and of European politics. It will certainly not be easy.