Creating the Future with All Finance and Financial Conglomerates comprises an academic search for an understanding of all finance and financial conglomerates. It presents a strategic and economic analysis of diversification strategies and the growing interface between different types of financial firms. On the basis of a solid analysis of theoretical foundations and practical value, the book develops basic concepts of creating the future: especially solutions in managing risks and fresh ideas for the development of integrated financial services.
The structure of the book is logical: starting on theoretical foundations (section 1, part A) and examining the economic value of All Finance and Financial Conglomerates (part B), leads to creating a concept for the future (part C). Case studies add additional practical value to this research. The review of the subject is completed by aspects of risk management in this sector and by political guidelines for the EU single market (section 2).
The book builds further on Professor Van den Berghe's first publication, entitled Financial Conglomerates - New Rules for New Players (published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in October 1995) and broadens the scope in the direction of strategic and managerial aspects. The following five aspects underline the innovativeness of the material:

• The volume is not only focused on the diversification of banks via `bancassurance', but also analyses in depth the parallel developments in the insurance market, whereby insurers and insurance intermediaries launch themselves in the direction of `assurfinance';
• The material analyses not only the cross-selling of each other's products and the blurring of the market boundaries, but also the diversification, collaboration, and integration on all other levels and functions;
• New conceptual tools (the financial conglomerates control board) are developed toprovide a more in-depth comparison of the many cases of this international trend;
• The book goes far beyond the categorisation of the mode of diversification, by looking at all managerial aspects of such a growth strategy; and
• The work looks at the economic and legal aspects involved as well as at the more strategic and managerial aspects.

This research has been made possible thanks to the financial support of The LEVOB Foundation.