Why competition in the banking industry is important
One of the most signi; cant crises in modern business is the decline of trust in the banking industry and in wider ; nancial services. Small businesses are ; nding credit hard to come by, taxpayers are livid at the billions spent on bailouts, products have been mis-sold and indicators manipulated, pay for bankers is too oK en unrelated to performance, and customer service levels are oK en poor.
One of the most striking aspects of the ; nancial crisis, and more recent scandals, such as Libor rigging, was the lack of choice that ordinary people felt when faced with a tableau of institutional failure. Much has been made of the regulatory shortcomings that have contributed to these problems, and public opinion oK en reQ ects on the actions of
government and regulators. However, little attention has been directed at the competitive environment itself. And a competitive market is one of the best ways of ensuring these problems are not repeated.