The constitutional conception of market integration within the European Union entails creating a level playing field for competition in the consolidated banking sector. The financial crisis of 2008 brought with it the need to proceed with care as it rolled back the gains of improving competitive...

This paper investigates the impact of banking sector concentration on financial stability, across a sample of 134 commercial banks from 17 countries of Central and Eastern Europe during the period 2007-2012. Empirical findings highlight the concentration-fragility hypothesis, indicating that a...