Considering, among other things, the prospect of banking union and the changeover to a single supervisory mechanism, the more noticeable and unjustified are the differences vis-à-vis the other large banks, the more sudden could be the call for change. The revision of governance structures can be pursued in two directions.
First, shareholders’ control of management’s activity must be enhanced and the injection of capital by new members encouraged. The transparency and effectiveness of management must be ensured by increasing shareholders’ awareness of risk-taking, by combating potential conflicts of interest. Expectations of sure profits and, for unlisted cooperative banks, of easy disposal of shares must not be engendered.