Table of Contents

1. Introduction Jacob A. Bikker and Michiel van Leuvensteijn 2. Potential obstacles to competition in the financial sector Jacob A. Bikker and Michiel van Leuvensteijn 3. The efficiency of firms: what difference does competition make? Hay and Liu 4. Indicators of competition and their performance Jacob A. Bikker and Michiel van Leuvensteijn 5. Identifying different competition regimes Kool and van Leuvensteijn 6. Measuring competition in the euro area loan markets Bikker, van Leuvensteijn, van Rixtel, Kok-Sørensen 7. Impact of bank competition on the interest rate pass-through in the euro area Bikker, van Leuvensteijn, Kok-Sørensen, and van Rixtel 8. Competition in the life insurance industry Jacob A. Bikker and Michiel van Leuvensteijn 9. Performance of the Dutch non-life insurance industry: competition, efficiency and focus Jacob A. Bikker and Michiel van Leuvensteijn 10. The impact of the credit crisis and state intervention on competition and final remarks Jacob A. Bikker and Michiel van Leuvensteijn

About the Author

Jacob Bikker is Research-coordinator, Supervisory Policy Division, Strategy Department, De Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Professor, Utrecht School of Economics, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

Michiel van Leuvensteijn is Senior Policy Advisor, Group Strategy and Policy Division, All Pension Group (APG), Amsterdam, the Netherlands.