I Ladies and gentlemen, Given the pace of developments in the financial markets, any attempt to describe the emerging face of European banking can only mean providing an appraisal of major current trends and specifying the driving forces in the foreseeable future.
The various determinants in the financial sector operate in concert, as if in an interactive process, and give rise to ever-new responses by the banks and other market players. What, then, are some of the key factors that shape the image of the European banking sector?