The Bank responded. It answered the call thanks to its wealth of skills; thanks to its independence. In these last five years we have changed the structure, organization and work procedures of the Bank. The number of branches has passed from 97 to 58. We now have a more efficient network, better able to respond to the needs of the local communities.
The Italian Foreign Exchange Office (UIC) has been closed. The Financial Intelligence Unit has been instituted with the task of preventing and combating money laundering and the financing of international terrorism. The Bank of Italy and UIC together employed almost 8,500 people in 2005; the number now stands at just over 7,000.