banking sector

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TLTRO will help peripheral banks’ funding, yet will it boost EZ credit?

MADRID | The Corner | No matter whether they lend the funds on to the private sector, TLTRO is likely to be an attractively priced source of funding for banks, especially in the eurozone’s periphery. For those lenders “the costs of TLTRO could be as much as 109-114bp below equivalent wholesale funding for four years, or 68-73bp for two years if they do not increase net lending to the private sector,” an UBS report says. That being said, analysts aren’t sure this is particularly going to boost credit lending. In the graph you can see the dismal evolution of M3 in the 18 single currency area “Shame on the ECB, which has acted behind the curve as always,” The Corner senior economist Miguel Navascués states.


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Banks likely to outperform as Capex drives loan growth

LONDON | By Barclays analysts | We believe that one of the reasons why loan growth has been so anaemic thus far in the recovery is because the recovery in capital spending has been very poor. However, an improving outlook for Capex could see loan demand pick-up and be supportive of future earnings growth for the domestic banking sector.


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Spanish banks mitigate reliance on ECB

MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | In the midst of the financial turmoil (2012), the ECB facilitated liquidity to avoid the collapse of the European banks when the inter banking market was dried up and nobody lent money. The central bank had to act as “last resort banker” and maintain the system as well as guarantee liquidity. Those credit lines are amortized once their function has been accomplished. Now, they are preparing other measures to stimulate growth and avoid other threats such as deflation or stagnation.


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Brussels demands more austerity to Spain to meet deficit target, praises banks’ reform

MADRID | By The Corner | In its first surveillance report after the Spanish banking sector bailout, the EC believes that entities are stronger and cleaner. Even if NPLs ratio has not stabilized, banks “are shifting towards more stable funding, such as deposits, and are relying less on borrowing from the Eurosystem.” As market access conditions have greatly improved, Brussels Spain’s return to positive economic growth (using February data, when growth estimates for 2014 were 1% instead of 1.1%) and was positive about the labour market slight improvement, although it warned that jobless rate remains very high (26% 2Q13). Brussels considers that unless further austerity measures are adopted the crisis-battered country won’t meet its deficit goals.


Rescate banca

Healthy Spanish banks still have to pay €7.5bn for their peers

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | In the Spanish banks restructuring process, the €100 bn credit line coming from Brussels was crucial. However, Spain’s financial sector also saved itself by transferring €7.5 bn from the banks in better conditions to those that were nationalized, basically via contributions to the Deposit Guarantee Fund and the national bad bank Sareb. [Picture: “Banks should pay for the crisis”]


ecb stress tests

Why is the ECB so demanding with Spanish banks?

MADRID| By Francisco López | Spanish banks are the most closely examined in the world, but it does not seem to be enough for supervising institutions. The ECB has urged them to undergo a new and comprehensive assessment of their exposure to real state sector before the European banking industry’s Asset Quality Review previous to the stress tests that will take place by the end of the year. The central bank has rejected that Spain’s entities use 2012’s review by audit firm Oliver Wyman. Even though ,they reckon, that would save money and time.


Calviño raises fiscal deficit targets

“Frankfurt cannot supervise all 6,000 banks in the Eurozone”

MADRID | By Luis Alcaide, Luis Martí and Jaime Santisteban | Deputy Director General at the European Union’s Financial Services Nadia Calviño considers that the EBA must keep playing an important role in the coordination of the financial supervision. She believes that transparency is a key issue that must prevail within the process of the European integration in the Eurozone.


Spanish banks

Spanish banks poised to face trouble

MADRID | By JP Marin Arrese | Not so long ago, markets gauged solvency problems in Spain to lay in former saving banks as many found themselves in a shambles. Few investors cast doubts on the main credit institutions, staunchly anchored in their extensive non-domestic business. Yet sentiment has markedly shifted as trouble is looming on Latin America. Argentina undoubtedly stands as a weird and quirky case. Still, the peso collapse has sent shivers down the spine.


Big Spanish banks rise profits fourfold to €8bn

MADRID | By Francisco López | As lower provisions, sale of assets and gains from financial operations enable big names such as Santander, BBVA, Caixabank, Bankia, Popular and Sabadell to multiply profits by four, the FT encourages to invest on Spanish banks, especially on medium size entities. However they have an unfinished business: profitability.


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When Spain’s banking sector progresses, Europe Moves Forward Too

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | What is good for Spain is good for Europe. Certainly, while recognising that the country “has pulled back from severe problems in some parts of its banking sector, thanks to its reform and policy actions,” the European authorities’ fifth review does not omit the fact that this has been achieved “with the support of the euro area and broader European initiatives.”