Cooperation between Bankers and Venture Capitalists, in Commission of the European Communities, "The Contribution of Credit Institutions to the Renewal of the Economy"

 

The scale and range of venture capital activities have expanded more rapidly in the United States than in Europe. In Italy, the slow growth of such activities can be attributed to a number of factors, including the inefficiency of the security markets, a lack of tax incentives, the limited availability of funds, the reluctance of owners of businesses to admit outside shareholders and a lack of government policy of support for high tech sectors. Given this situation, there is scope for cooperation between banks and venture capitalists, despite the wide gulf between them, in that banks can set up specialist subsidiaries and expand investment banking activities.