20. Final Remarks

The contributions included in this co-edited book provide a comprehensive overview of the most critical issues relating to commercial banking and banking institutions. The considerations on both the present and future of banks allow to identify their distinguishing features relative to the functions reserved to them, thereby envisaging their prospective evolution. Over the last 20 years, exogenous shocks and inherent economic transitions have affected the predominant model of capitalism based on economic liberalism redesigning the perimeter of banking intermediation. But banking institutions may be considered sui generis entities that exercise an activity of public interest at least because of their money creation function, and this makes them survive difficulties transforming and adapting themselves.