In Europe

capital requirements

Spanish banks may thrive in ECB capital requirements harmonisation

The Corner | February 25, 2015 | European banks will have to raise more and better quality capital to meet the single supervisor’s requirements, ECB’s Danièle Nouy warned on Tuesday, since the absence of a common regulation is one of the  industry’s main challenges. “That would be positive for Spanish banks since regulation in our country is one of the strictest in Europe,” experts at ACF commented.


pause key

Greece: A pause in uncertainty but for how long?

ATHENS | By Nick Malkoutzis via MacroPolisIs Friday’s agreement at the Eurogroup a good deal for Greece? In some respects it is but in more respects it is not. Above all, the four-month agreement leaves Greece walking an economic and political tightrope over the next four months without knowing what lies at the end of it. 


greek crisis

Greek crisis: If you are going to “play the wild and crazy guy” scenario…

NEW YORK | By Peter Tchir via TrumanMuch has been made of the “Game Theory” behind the Greek Debt Negotiations. It is complex as it is not just Greece versus Germany, but other countries have a say, and then there are the purely EU level politicians, making this all very complex. I have been thinking a lot about one of the classes I took in college that had some element of “Game Theory” to it.


No Picture

Greek agreement does not dispel mistrust and acrimony

MADRID, February 23,2015 | By JP Marín Arrese The agreement reached on Friday averted a full-fledged crisis but did not dispel mutual mistrust and acrimony. EU partners remain far from convinced the Hellenic government will honour its commitments. Irritation accumulated in the days following the deal, which Mr Schäuble underlined with his the grossly impolite and scathing remarks that “ Greeks certainly will have a difficult time to explain the deal to their voters”. This acrimonious climate points to further clashes flaring in future.  The last-minute truce will not entail a stable peace. 


tightening greek belt austerity financial crisis

“Grexit risk cut to 25%”

MADRID, February 23, 2015 | By Sean Duffy | Friday´s deal was a relief for all involved, yet it remains to be seen if a frantic weekend of number cruncing from Greek officials will meet the strict criteria outlined in the agreement. German bank Berenberg cut the chances of a Grexit to 25% from 35% on Monday.


germany in greece

Greece granted bailout extension

By Alexandre Mato in BRUSSELS & Sean Duffy in MADRID | A day of hard negotiations finally produced a positive outcome.Greece will work throughout the weekend to ready proposals for Monday´s meeting, but politicans were visibly relieved after an arduous week.



alemania greciaTC

Schäuble and Varoufakis lurch towards an angry showdown

MADRID | By JP Marín Arrese | With the request for a six-month extension of the current bailout being flatly rebuffed by the German Finance Minister, hopes for a compromise at the Eurogroup meeting today are dwindling. Even if talks collapse, keeping Greece afloat lies almost entirely in Mario Draghi’s hands. 


no deal not even a joint statement in eurogroup.w hr

Face off

MADRID | Sean Duffy | Today´s meeting of the Eurogroup brings Finance Ministers Varoufakis and Scauble head-to-head. Germany are unimpressed with Greek proposals,meaning that the Greeks face the prospect of being cut off from extra bailout funding.