This book examines the business models, performance, and decision-making approaches employed by financial institutions in Central and Southeast Europe. The respective contributions cover a wide range of industries, including banking, pharmaceuticals, and airline business services, and present both theoretical and empirical studies that highlight economy-wide risks and opportunities for European companies. The book is divided into four parts, the first of which provides a critical assessment of the competitiveness and performance of European companies, while the second examines decision-making approaches at financial institutions; the third and fourth parts address the macroeconomic risks and opportunities for business development in Europe. Intended for scholars, political decision-makers, and practitioners, the book offers new perspectives on Central and Southeast European financial and business research.

This Palgrave Pivot provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics that are affecting the profitability of European banks since the recent crisis period. More specifically, it sheds light on the most crucial changes in profit generation and on the consequential changes in banking strategies due to fiercer competition, reduced margin and changing regulation. The work is divided in four main parts. The first section introduces the changes in bank management policies, considering the periods before and since the crisis. In the second section, the authors review the literature on bank profitability and outline the main determinants of profit generation, and in the third section they provide a cross-country analysis of profitability for a wide sample of European banks during the great financial crisis. In the last section, the authors discuss the results of the quantitative analysis under the new regulatory and competitive framework that is progressively affecting the banking sector (fintech, Basel regulations, etc.). This book will be of interest to academics, researchers and students of European banking.

This book provides a detailed insight into the role of IT in European banking and investigates whether IT investments in hardware, software and other IT services have influenced bank performance. It considers the central question of whether or not the massive spending on IT by banks has improved their performance or productivity

This text comprises a selection of papers that provide state of the art insights into bank performance, risk and firm financing post crisis that were presented at the European Association of University Teachers of Banking and Finance Conference (otherwise known as the Wolpertinger Conference) held at Bangor University, Wales, 2010.

Amidst talk of establishing an EU-wide banking union, the recent changes in the regulatory framework and the rethinking of the future of European banking structure, the future of EU bank regulation is inextricably linked to banks' business models. Using a sample of over 70 banks, which overlaps with those subjected to the European Banking Authorities' 2011 stress tests, this report emphasizes the key regulatory gaps that emerge from a comprehensive analysis of the soundness and performance of bank business models. This analysis provides policy-makers with guidance to reinforce the evolving regulatory framework in European banking.

Financial services firms play a key role in the European economy. The efficiency and profitability of these firms and the competition among them have an impact on allocation of savings, financing of investment, economic growth, the stability of the financial system and the transmission of monetary policy. This collection of research contributions includes evaluations of trends in the European financial service industry and examinations of the driving forces of efficiency, competition and profitability of financial firms and institutions in Europe. The papers have been written by leading academics and researchers in the field, who specialize in strategic, systematic and policy issues related to the European financial services industry. This edited collection will be will be essential reading for students and academics but will also be of interest to financial practitioners and government officials interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of this complex issue.