The role of local banks was a theme that Professor Muré examined on many occasions in the course of work on a broad range of topics, and he was always passionately convinced of their valuable role in supporting SMEs.
At a meeting on “Dimensions and Processes of Growth” some twenty years ago, he stressed “the competitive advantage of a bank with a local dimension, which as we all know can adhere to the economic fabric of its place of business” and emphasized that this fundamental resource should not be wasted − indeed, that local banks should preserve their local identity.