They manage $2.7 trillion worth of assets and were once viewed as a threat to free market capitalism. But during the crisis they provided capital and stability, and they are here to stay despite mixed success in business management and an uncertain future

On the Borsa Italiana, small caps show star performance with respect to blue chips, yielding a 581% return over a ten-year period. After SMEs took a bad hit in the crisis, markets are finding new ways to funnel investments toward these traditionally profitable firms

Jörg Asmussen, originally from Germany, came to Italy to attend the SDA Bocconi Master in Business Administration taught in English during 1991-1992. He will take office on the European Central Bank Board on 1 January 2012

The school debuted in the rankings for Executive MBAs, placing 22nd in Europe and 67th in the world, and the only Italian business school on the rankings

Fifth in Europe in the Top MBA rankings based on recruiter evaluations. Paced sixth in the world for the preparation of graduates in international management and 11th in finance

Bocconi places first in the Vision rankings on internationalization of Italian universities