The goal of the Good Bank initiative is efficiency and trustworthiness

The international public’s trust in the financial sector has decreased considerably as a result of the crisis and the behaviour of the large banks leading up to it. The Good Bank initiative is trying to contribute to its restoration. Dozens of experts from the world over have put the project together. Through Internet and live discussions over the course of several months they sought answers to essential questions on the future of banking and its role in society and the economy. The results were summarised in the final report. The public dialogue is continuing even after its publication, however. Seminars dedicated to “good banking” are also being held all over the world.

According to experts a good bank must stand on three pillars: efficiency, trust and innovation. An efficient bank does not needlessly inflate its expenses, takes on only reasonable risk, acts entirely within the law and thinks both about today’s profit and the future of the brand. The trust of the general public, shareholders and clients is a key value, and it is one of the primary tasks of today’s banks to regain that trust. The third pillar, innovation, is mainly essential from the long-term perspective. If banks will not innovate, then firms from the non-banking sector will start offering new services.

The independent international organisation Mazars, which specialises in the provisioning of consulting, audit, accounting and tax services, has also adopted and fully supports the values of the Good Bank initiative. “All three of the pillars are closely related to each other. An efficiently-managed bank instils trust while also generating profits, which can be invested into innovations. Properly oriented innovations then contribute to lowering expenses and increasing the bank’s efficiency,” stated Milan Prokopius, the Managing Partner of Mazars.  “From our perspective we can see two paths to support development: one by law and the other through the actual market participants. Both paths are necessary and interconnected,” added Prokopius.

The three basic pillars, however, also have a potential inherent conflict; in fact they contradict one another in a certain sense. It is difficult for banks, for example, to look for compromises between the effort to perform well in a competitive environment, which requires large investments, and financial stability. Efficiency, on the other hand, requires innovation, though each innovation is risky because it can threaten the public’s trust. Moreover various groups of bank clients have various interests and it is not possible to satisfy them all. One of the possible solutions is for banks to diversify and specialise on specific market segments and services.

Poznámky:

1. Mazars (www.mazars.com / www.mazars.cz ) je mezinárodní, integrovaná a nezávislá organizace v oblasti auditorských, účetních, daňových a poradenských služeb, které k 1. září 2013 poskytuje v 71 zemích světa a zaměstnává více než 13 500 odborníků. Prostřednictvím dohod o spolupráci, joint ventures a zastupujícím kancelářím působí Mazars v dalších 21 zemích. Pro klienty tak společně pracují týmy odborníků, kteří poskytují své služby ve stejné kvalitě a v rámci shodně technicky a eticky nastavených standardů. Kompletní, přizpůsobená a flexibilní škála poskytovaných služeb předurčuje Mazars jako partnera pro velké národní a nadnárodní firmy včetně subjektů veřejného zájmu i střední a menší společnosti, vlastníkem řízené soukromé společnosti a úspěšné podnikatele.

2. V České republice působí společnost Mazars od roku 1993, poskytuje komplexní služby a zaměstnává více než 150 lidí. V současné době je sedmou největší auditorskou firmou v České republice.

3. Název « Mazars » označuje všechny společnosti skupiny Mazars, každá z nich je samostatným a
nezávislým právním subjektem.

Kontakt: Mazars, International Business Center, 186 00 Praha 8, Pobřežní 3
Petra Mottlová, Marketing & Communication, petra.mottlova@mazars.cz , tel. 224 835 730.