L’innovazione nel credito al consumo: cause ed effetti

The Italian banking system has entered with belief the segment of consumer credit since the late eighties. The number of specialized firms increased rapidly and this area experienced an unstoppable development, which exceeded all expectations. At the same time, the products of consumer financing showed a tendency to expansion and innovation, despite their apparent simplicity, driving the market to maturity. The work explores the link between innovation and consumer credit setting itself the goal of identifying and describing the main improvements (of products and processes) registered in the European markets. Causes and effects of innovation were also examined. The study takes the observation of reality as their starting point through a survey carried out on several intermediaries selected between the most creative and influential in the markets of Great Britain, France and Spain. The analysis distinguishes between the strategies implemented by generalist and specialized banks.