The financial industry most open there eyes and see there market landscape changing rapidly. The concept of peer-to-peer banking is spoken a lot about is the press. It is the concept where consumers lend money to other consumers without the participation of banks. A virtual marketplace for financials.
Some examples are:
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Prosper
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Zopa
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Boober
In Belgium they even speak about a new big trend. What can banks do about this trend? I think it is a good development from EXPECTED forces. It was just a question of time for these initiative to arise. Which organizations will be next to be eaten by the internet protocol and the consumer??
An article about this subject in the Belgium newspaper(only in Dutch)
Standaard.