| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 15, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- EUROPEAN COVER STORY
...But Its Banks Have Far to Go -- French banks deliver an average 12% return on equity, compared with 18% to 20% for their British counterparts and around 20% for Spain. -- Most of France's financial institutions still rely heavily on domestic revenues. The clubby system needs to open up to foreign investment and to forge alliances with non-French partners. -- Like many European rivals, French banks are overstaffed and have far too many branches. They need to overcome political resistance and pare their ranks. DATA: DEUTSCHE BANK RESEARCH, BUSINESS WEEK _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
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