Since the 19th century, cooperative banks have been considered central players in economic and social development, both at microeconomic and macroeconomic levels, maintaining their traditional competitive power and strength in local markets. The current debate deals with the validity of the cooperative business model in the new environment characterised by an increased level of competition, which has influenced the volume, quality and price of financial services and squeezed banks' profitability.

This book provides insights into specific issues related to innovation and development in cooperative banking. It is divided into two parts: firstly, it describes the current role and rationale of cooperative banking and deals with specific features such as governance, consolidation, outsourcing, shareholders value and rating evaluation; the second part examines the contents of some provisions in order to analyse the likely impact on the strategic, organisational and operative model of cooperative banks.