Variety of Business Models in the banking sector

The financial crisis that the world is currently facing leads us to question the validity of the capitalist system. The banking sector, a symbolic player in this system, has been subject to numerous controversies for over a year which have damaged its image (subprime crisis, Madoff affair). The banks were then weakened by the losses accumulated on the financial markets and no longer seem able to ensure their role of partner with SMEs and households. Business loans and consumer credit fell, which caused sluggish households and reluctant companies lacking capital.