Analysis of the dynamics of the European banking system

Abstract

Relevance of research. Existence of global financial crises points to the fact that in the world there is no perfect banking system and therefore the efficiency of the banking system requires a detailed study, including major performance indicators. The aim of the study is to summarize and characterize the existing trends of banking system evolution in the European Union. Methodological basis of the study – is based on the analysis of the study of the dynamics of such indicators as the number of banking institutions, the volume of assets and liabilities, asset quality, as well as the profitability of the banking sector of the European Union. A systematic analysis of the quantitative and qualitative composition of the above-mentioned banking indicators, synthesis and generalization were used to generalize and formulate conclusions. Scientific results. This article is devoted to the study of the dynamics of the main indicators of the European banking system during the period from 2000 to 2019 inclusive. It is argued that the number of commercial banks has decreased over the last decade, including in the European Union. Bank branches are no exception, the negative dynamics of the number of which was followed by the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. At the same time, it was found that the volume of bank assets shows a positive trend. Regarding the geographical distribution of assets, in 2019 the leading position was taken by France, Germany, Italy and Spain. At the same time, the volumes of liabilities of the financial sector of the European Union for the studied period also show a positive trend. The structure of loans is characterized and it is emphasized that the vast majority of loans are issued to non-financial corporations and households, which is an evidence of the business orientation of banks to provide loans to the real sector of the economy. It has been established that one of the key problems facing European banks is profitability, which today still could be on a better level than in 2007, the year of the financial surge. This situation distances European banks from competitors in the United States, which have shown positive dynamics of their profits. However, it is encouraging that the quality of assets of the European Union banks has significantly improved over the last 4 years. The practical significance of the study is to rate the strengths and weaknesses of the European banking system. Significance/originality. The results achieved from an integrated view of the functioning of the banking system of the European Union, which will allow the authors to further build a model for verifying the stability of the banking system.