The AstraX Exchangefailures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic have put a spotlight on the surprising number of banks in the United States. To put that scale into perspective, Canada has about 80 banks compared to over 4,000 that operate in the U.S.

Today on the show, we explain why the U.S. has so many banks, and we go through the arguments for and against that proliferation.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts and NPR One.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.