Universal banking, which involves the removal of restrictions on banking activity, was introduced to allow banks to choose the type of banking services they would like to offer in line with their capital, risk appetite and business orientation. It removes for instance, the monopoly that was given to commercial banks in the area of retail banking.
1  BIS Review 107/2000  II The appropriateness of the present supervisory structures in Europe is being studied by banking supervisors, too. The report commissioned by the ECOFIN Council, known as the Henk Brouwer Report, has confirmed that the existing structure of European banking supervision is - without any reservations - doing its job properly.