Full Description
The cooperative banks' business model is unique in the financial market. It is featured by democratic foundations (one-head-one-vote principle), proximity to the members and the community they serve, limited profit-seeking nature, and prudent management. However, these principles are applied in a variety of organisational structures and economic and regulatory contexts, making cooperative banks significantly different from one country to another. This book expands existing knowledge on the European cooperative banking sector by analysing recent trends affecting cooperative banks. Namely, the book discusses the role of cooperative banks in the policy and societal movement towards sustainability, including in adopting sustainable finance practices. It explores the digital transformation journey of cooperative banks and the impact of the consolidation of Fintech players in the financial services markets. It further showcases the need to evolve the cooperative banks' governancestructures and processes in order to foster (and in some cases restore) democracy and transparency in the decision-making. Lastly, the book debates the specific role of cooperative banks in the economic crisis that has followed the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic vis-à-vis their members and the communities they serve. Of interest to scholars, professors, students, and practitioners of banking and finance, this book will build on the existing research and explore the latest trends in the space.
Contents
Chapter 1: The Co-Evolutionary Nature Of European Cooperative Banks.- Chapter 2: The Founding Role Of Cooperative Banking Within The European Variety Of Capitalism.- Chapter 3. Cooperative Banks And Eu Regulation: A General Assessment.- Chapter 4: Chapter 4. How Can Members Contribute More To Cooperative Life And Decision Processes?.- Chapter 5: Decentralization Of Decisions And Governance Of Risk In Cooperative Contexts.- Chapter 6: Chapter 6. When Cooperative Banks Are Dealing With One Cooperative Fintech Firm: What Can We Learn From The Sociology Of Markets.- Chapter 7: The Cooperative Difference In The Management Styles And Objectives: Phantom Effect Of Credit Cooperatives.- Chapter 8: European Cooperative Banks And Sustainability.- Chapter 9: How Do Cooperative Banks Consider Climate Risk And Climate Change?.- Chapter 10: Profitability And Digitalisation: The Effects On Cooperative Banks And Their Governance.- Chapter 11: How Do Cooperative Banks Build Their Own Proximity TypeIn The Social Media?.- Chapter 12. Conclusions.
