The Italian Banking Industry: Through Structural Transformations and Economic Recession

Since 2008 the Italian economy has been battered by the most severe and prolonged period of crisis since Second World War. The country, given the high public debt, had no choice but to keep prudent policies aiming at a strict control over fiscal deficit. Economic recession and financial fallout from sovereign crisis in Southern Europe negatively impacted the Italian banking system which, nevertheless, has shown remarkable resilience. Beyond cyclical adjustments, the effects of crisis and recession deeply intertwine with long term changes of the Italian banking industry. Reaction to the crisis, Basle III rules and new challenges such as the globalization of manufacturing and the digital revolution will intensify the process of right-sizing bank structures, the search for higher efficiency and a substantial rebalancing within the sources of financing of Italian SMEs.