** To conclude, let me quote one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin: “we must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” Hanging together is exactly what we should aim for within Europe – to build a more integrated Union – and outside Europe – to work on a renewed multilateralism. 1 Cf. Speech at the Paris School of Economics, 24 September 2019. 3/3  BIS central bankers' speeches
So, from this point of view it means they can operate as a stand-alone but due to parent bank strategies they are inhibited. Do you think there is opportunity for more entrants in the banking sector? Currently at 16 banks, we have too many. In that case, do you see more mergers and acquisitions occurring? Yes, absolutely, in fact it is a process that I have been encouraging in the last 2 years, sending signals and urging banks towards this end. 7–10 banks would be ideal. There is another strong possibility that parent company banks may decide to sell their Macedonian subsidiaries, which are very solid banks, possibly resulting in some strong international brands entering the market. Based on your position and knowledge of the Macedonian marketplace. Please offer a personal message to our American Investor readers. Macedonia’s market is not yet saturated and there is room for investors at the earliest stages. We are actively pursuing and obtaining EU standards and EU accession is certainly something to benefit from when it does occur. First-movers entering this market will be the ones benefiting from the immediate and privileged market access. The beauty is that there are strong returns available now, not just after accession! BIS central bankers’ speeches  3