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Master's Thesis from the year 2005 in the subject Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting, grade: 1, ESCP Europe (Department Finance), language: English, abstract: The banking sector in Europe is bound to change its shape soon. In many countries the banking sector is still highly fragmented, especially in Germany and Italy. EU Banks need to grow in size if they want to be able to compete globally with financial titans such as Citigroup. This study aims at analysing the key drivers and success factors for external growth via Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in the European banking sector. After explaining the theoretical background of Mergers and Acquisitions (Chapter 2), the study examines the current condition of the EU banking sector followed by a more detailed view on the main markets and players (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy) focussing on their potential role in a future consolidation process (Chapter 3). It seems that important obstacles for consolidation have been removed and banks may indeed engage in domestic and even cross border M&A. A detailed comparison of Europe’s largest banks will complement this section. By analysing paid premiums in the five key European economies, we will draw conclusions on the influence of market structure on the potential for consolidation. In Chapter 4, the Banco Sabadell - Banco Atlantico case is analysed and discussed as an example of a domestic bank merger. Emphasis is put on the logic behind the operation, performance measurement and its strategic impact. The question, if value has been created for shareholders as well as other stakeholders, will be addressed. This recent case (2004) only allows for a preliminary analysis of the success of the transaction, particularly in terms of achieved synergies versus expected synergies. The case evidences typical sources for higher synergies in domestic M&A but reveals also important sources of synergies that would apply in cross border operations. In the final conclusion (Chapter 5), the market analysis is put into perspective to recent developments and briefly compares it with the US Banking market. Key observations from the case study are summarized and finally this section aims at developing different scenarios for a future consolidation within the European banking sector.