We examine the causes and consequences of bank disintermediation. Are the causes regulation or competition from non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs)? Or are banks now cooperating with NBFIs, and does the greater risk of competition for them come from retail central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)? Can the EU’s Savings and Investment Union (SIU) be a game changer for them? And what effects may bank disintermediation have on central bank monetary policy transmission?