Anjan Thakor holds the John E. Simon Professorship of Finance at the Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis. He is past-President and a founder of the Financial Intermediation Research Society.
A world-renowned banking expert, Anjan Thakor takes us through a fascinating tour of the banking industry from its very beginnings in Ancient Rome to the ideal bank of the future. If you've ever wondered why banks exist and whether fintech will make them obsolete, this book is for you. -- Andrew Lo, Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management It is refreshing to have one of banking's most prolific and insightful scholars remind us of a time-honored touchstone of business: authentic leadership requires unselfish,Aor at least oblique, behaviors. Culture may be the softest of organizational assets, but it is also the most trenchant. Thakor makes a compelling case for these bedrock ideas. -- Stuart I. Greenbaum, Former Dean and Professor Emeritus, Olin Business School, Washington University of St. Louis Anjan Thakor is one of the most knowledgeable scholars of banking in the world. This expertise is on full display in this book. He shows how a banking system can be designed to balance financial stability and economic growth. It is essential reading for all those with a serious interest in banking. -- Franklin Allen, Imperial College London