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Markets 19th December 2011

Santander UK would now have a word about those Vickers reforms

LONDON | Chancellor of the British Treasury George Osborne confirmed Monday afternoon what Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, had announce the day before on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: that the Vickers report will be forced on to all banking institutions in the United Kingdom. “Our big banks were at the very centre of the financial crisis, what the Europeans call Anglo-Saxon financial capitalism. It needs reform.” The next weeks will be…

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Markets 15th December 2011

“ECB refinancing auctions means help for Spanish, Italian smaller banks”

The Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) decided last week on additional enhanced credit support measures to support bank lending and liquidity in the euro area. In particular, the Governing Council proposed to conduct two longer-term refinancing operations (LTROs) with a maturity of 36 months and the option of early repayment after one year. Among other measures, the central bank also accorded to reduce the reserve ratio, which is…

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Markets 15th December 2011

What is David Cameron so scared of? It might be the UK banks

By Carlos Díaz Güell, in Madrid | The deadline is January 20 for EU financial entities to submit to the European regulator their specific plans to comply with the capital demands determined by the European Banking Authority (EBA). For the Spanish entities, this demand amounts to €26bn, an amount that does not take into account certain peculiarities of the Spanish financial system such as the convertible bonds which amount to almost €10bn. The European…

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Markets 14th December 2011

Santander Consumer Finance signs joint venture with Chinese JAC

Santander Consumer Finance has signed in Hefei, Anhui Province, an agreement with Chinese car manufacturer Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co., Ltd (JAC) to create an independent company to provide auto financing in the Chinese market. Under the accord, Santander Consumer Finance and JAC will each have a 50% stake in the new company and will each name three members to the board of directors. The consumer finance unit of Banco Santander…

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Markets 14th December 2011

BBVA’s president González: “The UK will accept the new EU measures”

MADRID | The president of BBVA, Francisco González, commented at a press conference in Seul during the inauguration of a new branch in the Korean capital, that the worst part of European debt crisis is already over. González’s statement did not go unnoticed in any of the Spanish economic newspapers. “Francisco González pointed out that there would be no problems in the implementation of measures agreed during the meeting of European leaders…

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Markets 7th December 2011

Market reaction to S&P’s EZ and EFSF downgrade warning better than expected

By Julia Pastor, in Madrid | Ratings agency S&P’s threat of downgrading the euro zone and the EFSF has fallen like a ton of bricks among leaders and European institutions. Santander analysts believe, however, that it has also been accepted with a certain degree of realism: “The German Minister of finance, Schäuble, commented that the warning is the best incentive to promote a solution to the crisis and regain the confidence…

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Markets, World economy 7th December 2011

The largest bankruptcy in American history comes to an end

New York | Although Lehman Brothers collapsed more than three years ago, its full dissolution depended on settling creditors’ claims worth around $450 billion. On Tuesday, a federal judge paved the way for the now infamous firm to exit Chapter 11 protection. The final phase of the largest and most complex biggest bankruptcy in US history –as the firm defined it– that tipped world economies into chaos, involving 7,000 legal…

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Markets 5th December 2011

“German banks’ capital needs over €9.5bn vs EBA’s €5bn estimation”

Julia Pastor, in Madrid | The European Banking Authority (EBA) this week revised its figures about recapitalisation volumes needed in the EU institutions. Banco Santander analysts say that “speculations about the German banks are circulation. They may have to increase capital by the amount of €9.5bn instead of the €5bn initially estimated by the EBA.” Also, the Santander note reminded us that European banks are still carrying out liability management…