Where will the banking industry slip up next?

The CSFI thought it would be instructive to ask five leading observers of the banking scene to address the opening question from different geographical perspectives: Keith Brown, European bank analyst at Morgan Stanley, on France; Brooke Unger, The Economist's Berlin business correspondent, on Germany; Robin Monro-Davies, managing director of IBCA, on Japan; John Plender, leader writer at the Financial Times, on the UK; and Martin Mayer, of the Brookings Institution, on the US (positions are correct at time of paper, June 1994).

The results show that each country has thrown up its own quite individual set of concerns.  Part of the strength of the world banking system still seems to lie in its diversity.  However, the report also suggests that the banking industries described are all going through periods of profound change.