Savings Banks, under political, economic and social pressure

Abstract

Savings banks are news, and not always good news. Starting out from a brief analysis of the historical beginnings and specific character of savings banks, our editorial will review their later development within the context of the growing liberalisation of the Spanish financial system. In the face of this evolution, the banks have undergone important changes in their strategic behaviour, which has led to the present situation, characterised at the same time by relatively important weight within the country’s banking system together with growing difficulties in maintaining their characteristic identity, precisely because of the political, economic and social pressures referred to in the title. The editorial concludes by summing up the standing point of our review with regards to the savings banks maintaining their specific characteristics, but without losing competitive capacity.