A Convergência do Mercado Bancário na União Europeia

Abstract

The European Union (EU) has implemented prescribed uniform rules to be adopted by its state members, relatively to the banking activity, with bigger relevance since the beginning of the Nineties. One admits that those prescribed uniform rules have contributed for the convergence of the banking activity in EU state members. On the other hand, one admits that the economies’ globalization has also contributed for similar convergence. In the present work, an empirical research is made about the convergence of 12 state members and 4 not communitarian with developed financial systems, relatively to operational costs and income, financial structure, efficiency and profitability. Data relative to years 1993 to 2003 have been used. The methodology used consisted in the average comparison, through variance analyses and the usual β-convergence and σ-convergence in macroeconomics convergence studies between countries and between regions. Having found evidence of differences between the three segments of the sample communitarian banks (commercial banks, cooperative banks and savings banks), joint and separate analyses for segment have been made. Evidence of convergence in income and operational costs and in the financial structure was found (this last one more in the cooperative banks and savings banks). Was also found evidence that the commercial banks in the EU have initiated the convergence movement before the other segments of the EU and also before the not communitarian commercial banks.