MADRID (Reuters) – The euro zone economy has experienced a strong recovery in the third quarter even though the most recent incoming data in August have been less robust, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Tuesday. “In the third quart... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – The danger to the euro zone economy from the coronavirus pandemic is not yet over, European Central Bank board member Fabio Panetta told La Repubblica, adding that he saw no need to make any tweaks to the bank’s massive asset purchase progra... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank will use its stimulus firepower fully even as the euro zone economy shows some signs of rebounding from its pandemic-induced recession, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday. Tackling the biggest econo... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank expects a pending European Union stimulus scheme to favour grants over loans in the funding mechanism it uses to help kick-start the bloc’s economies, bank president Christine Lagarde said on Thursday. Leaders of... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks maintained relatively easy access to credit for firms in the second quarter with the backing of government guarantees, but they will likely tighten credit standards in the following three months, the European Central Bank ... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The risk of a deeper economic euro zone recession than predicted in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) baseline scenario has diminished, ECB governing council member Klaas Knot said on Friday. “Recent data solidifies the confidence in our ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is lowering the bar for bank mergers in the euro zone, hoping to encourage an elusive wave of consolidation in a sector plagued by low profits and unresolved issues inherited from the last financial crisis. In a ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A string of positive economic indicators in the euro zone confirm that a recovery is on its way but the bloc may still need years to reach pre-crisis levels of activity, European Central Bank policymaker Klaas Knot said on Thursday. “I wo... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Changes to the composition of Germany’s top court are likely to make it less confrontational towards the European Central Bank following a ruling about bond purchases that sent shockwaves around Europe, according to two sources close to the ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is contemplating whether to extend a request to banks to hold off on dividend payments and share buybacks, and hopes to provide more clarity in July, Andrea Enria, its chief bank supervisor said on Tuesday. The E... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank beefed up its bond-buying programme on Thursday in its latest effort to support a euro zone economy pummelled by more than two months of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. HIGHLIGHTS: ** ECB increases size o... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank expects the euro zone to suffer a deep recession this year, with losses only partly made up in 2021 as pandemic-related restrictions weigh on output for an extended period. In what ECB President Christine Lagarde... More »
(Reuters) – The European Central Bank beefed up its bond-buying programme on Thursday in its latest effort to support a euro zone economy pummelled by more than two months of shutdowns to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Following are highlights of ECB Pres... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank meets on Thursday, the ink barely dry on its emergency bond-buying scheme, and markets are already asking what more it will do to help the euro zone economy through the coronavirus crisis. Its emergency stimulus, wh... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The euro zone’s fiscal response to the coronavirus crisis has been inadequate so far and threatens the single market, European Central Bank board member Fabio Panetta said in an editorial published by Politico. Budget action should be pro... More »
FRANKFURT/RIGA (Reuters) – It would be irresponsible of euro zone countries to leave the European Central Bank alone in the fight against an economic slump caused by the coronavirus outbreak, ECB policymaker Martins Kazaks said on Wednesday. Finance ministers ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Help to euro zone members struggling under the weight of the coronavirus crisis should come from the European level, European Central Bank board member atold Greek newspaper To Vima in an interview. “This is not just a question of Europea... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has a concrete reason for putting pressure on euro zone governments to finance the fight against coronavirus with joint debt — avoiding trouble with the courts. These common “coronabonds” ... More »
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde asked euro zone finance ministers during a videoconference on Tuesday evening to seriously consider a one-off joint debt issue of “coronabonds” to help fight the coronavirus pandemic,... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone governments should “get their acts together” and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout in a bold and coordinated way now that the ECB has secured cheap financing for it, two ECB rate-setters said on Friday... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank launched 750 billion euro emergency bond purchase scheme in a bid to stop a pandemic-induced financial rout from shredding the euro zone’s economy and raising fresh concerns about the currency bloc’s viability. W... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s new bond purchase scheme will help reduce the risk of fragmentation between euro zone states, France’s finance minister said on Thursday. “The plan that the European Central Bank announced is the right one,” Bruno ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday gave his full backing for the European Central Bank’s (ECB) latest monetary stimulus measures aimed at helping the euro zone fight the global coronavirus crisis. “Full support for the exceptional m... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – If the European Central Bank sees the need for further stimulus in the area of government bonds to help countries tackle the coronavirus impact, it is ready to do so, European Central Bank policymaker Robert Holzmann said on Monday. “If ther... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – European Central Bank policymaker Robert Holzmann said he would not support an interest rate cut to insulate the euro zone from the effects of the coronavirus epidemic but he could consider giving firms ultra cheap loans. When asked if targe... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is prepared to support the economy if needed in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, although more action is not yet needed, ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Monday. Villeroy, who is also head of ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Gathered in a German mountain castle last November for an evening retreat that ended with a whiskey-tasting, rebel European Central Bank policymakers and Christine Lagarde, their newly confirmed president, made a pact. Lagarde pledged to ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The euro zone’s top bank supervisor blamed a “mess” of diverging laws across the bloc on Tuesday for the European Central Bank’s failure to stop Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, who is suspected of fraud, from controlling a bank in ... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Interest rates in the euro zone could remain historically low for years, but the European Central Bank’s (ECB) ultra-loose monetary policy risks becoming counterproductive, ECB governing council member Klaas Knot said in an interview publ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank left policy unchanged at new ECB President Christine Lagarde’s first meeting on Thursday, keeping money taps wide open and further stimulus ready as the euro zone economy continues to suffer from broader global t... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Union banks have put in place all the plans for Brexit but execution is lagging as lenders await the outcome of negotiations between Britain and the EU, European Central Bank banking supervisor Andrea Enria said on Monday. Some b... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Christine Lagarde will ensure European Central Bank policymakers climb down from their “ivory tower” and face the political realities of the euro zone, the ECB’s vice president, Luis de Guindos, said in an interview published on Saturday.... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi told his successor on Thursday to “never give up” on propping up the euro zone economy in the face of a worsening outlook and little help from governments. At the last press conference of his e... More »
LONDON, (Reuters) – Mario Draghi’s last meeting as European Central Bank chief this Thursday may prove a lively gathering given a deep rift among policymakers over renewed asset purchases that threatens the effectiveness of policy. After unleashing a wave of s... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone governments must reform their economies and use appropriate fiscal policies to ensure that the European Central Bank is not overburdened, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday. Speaking at an event in Frankfurt, home ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi pledged indefinite stimulus on Thursday to revive an ailing euro zone economy, tying the hands of his successor for years to come and sparking an immediate conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is giving euro zone banks a small reprieve from a penalty charge on their idle cash but this is likely to prove too little, too late for a sector hurt by years of low interest rates. In its latest bid to shield t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s move to cut interest rates and restart a larger stimulus program drew fast reaction from the White House on Thursday, with President Donald Trump saying the ECB was undercutting the value of its currency and “... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank approved a fresh stimulus package as expected on Thursday, cutting interest rates and approving a new round of bond purchases to prop up euro zone growth and halt a worrisome drop in inflation expectations. Follo... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank approved a fresh stimulus package as expected on Thursday, cutting interest rates and approving a new round of bond purchases to prop up euro zone growth and halt a worrisome drop in inflation expectations. The E... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks will be exempted from paying the European Central Bank a penalty charge on idle cash worth six times their mandatory reserves, the ECB said on Thursday. “This decision aims to support the bank-based transmission of monetar... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said on Thursday that the euro zone economy was in a period of “protracted” economic weakness, with inflation staying low and the balance of risks tilted toward the downside. “Incoming informat... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A shrewd negotiator who has run the IMF but has little monetary policy experience, Christine Lagarde will face the challenge as the European Central Bank’s new chief of having to revive the euro zone economy with a largely depleted policy... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Profitability across the euro zone bank sector is low and weakening growth could further dampen the sector’s prospects, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Tuesday. Negative ECB rates are not the cause of the weak... More »
(Reuters) – The head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, steps down at the end of October and the 19 euro zone countries are now looking for his replacement. The shortlists of likely candidates are almost exclusively male. It is one of several top jobs... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks are turning away from cross-border activity, putting at risk the bloc’s banking union and raising the risk of dangerous fragmentation, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Thursday. With national ru... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A new round of tariffs between the United States and its main partners would only cause a “modest decrease” in the pace of economic growth in the euro zone, according to research by the European Central Bank. The study simulated a two-way... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An internal European Central Bank model indicates the euro zone’s economic growth could slow further in the second quarter, suggesting the projected recovery may be delayed even further, two sources familiar with the discussion said on F... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s fourth round of cheap long-term loans targeted at banks may steer euro zone lenders away from a cliff edge in funding. But it is a symptom of, rather than a cure for, the bloc’s economic malaise that appears to... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank changed tack on its tightening plan on Thursday, pushing out the timing of its first post-crisis rate hike until 2020 at the earliest and offering banks a new round of cheap loans to help revive the euro zone eco... More »
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Euro zone banks will not be able to use a new longer-term lending facility from the European Central Bank to extend mortgages, Lithuanian central bank chief Vitas Vasiliauskas said on Friday. The ECB delayed its first post-crisis rate hike ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi caught even dovish rate-setters off guard by pushing on Thursday for unexpectedly generous stimulus after forecasts showed a large drop in economic growth, four sources familiar with the discus... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank will appoint someone to become the euro zone’s second-most senior banking watchdog “in the coming weeks”, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Thursday. The post of vice chair of the ECB’s Single Supervisory Mechan... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Following is the text of European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s statement after the ECB’s policy meeting on Thursday: Based on our regular economic and monetary analyses, we have conducted a thorough assessment of the economic and... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is expected to give banks fresh long-term loans known as TLTROs to keep credit flowing to companies in the euro zone, in the hope that an already marked economic downturn will not be exacerbated by a sudden crunc... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Two months after ending its massive stimulus scheme, the European Central Bank faces growing pressure to address how it will protect the euro zone economy from a protracted slowdown. Thursday’s policy meeting, news conference, and updated ec... More »
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – Latvia violated European Union law by barring from office its central bank governor, who is also a European Central Bank policymaker, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday in a widely expected decision. Ilmars Rimsevics was susp... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A key euro zone banking supervision role is set to go unfilled for an indefinite time after ECB chief Mario Draghi failed to pick a successor in an unprecedented impasse at the crucial euro zone institution, sources familiar with the matt... More »
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – The European Central Bank defended its 2.6 trillion-euro bond-buying program before the European Union’s top court on Tuesday from accusations it was bankrolling governments and endangering taxpayer money. The case, brought by a group of... More »
RIGA (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s President Mario Draghi on Thursday played down political upheavals in Italy and dismissed suggestions that the euro zone’s third-largest economy might quit the single currency. The euro EUR= and Italian government b... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel exchanged views with European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Monday, her spokesman said, as part of her regular informal meetings with leaders of European institutions. Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seib... More »
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Potential policy changes under a government being formed in Italy are creating a lot of nervousness but it is necessary to wait to see what is put in practice, ECB governing council member Ewald Nowotny said on Monday. “It is something that ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks continued to cut their pile of soured debt in the final quarter of last year, European Central Bank data showed on Monday, working away on a key legacy of the bloc’s debt crisis which has weighed on growth and bank profits... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Lending to euro zone households and companies accelerated in March while a broader indicator of money circulating in the currency bloc, which often foreshadows future activity, slowed sharply, data from the European Central Bank showed on... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The ECB meets on Thursday against a backdrop of concern about a global trade spat and a softening in euro zone economic data that could potentially hamper the central bank’s plans to unwind its extraordinary monetary stimulus. In March, the ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank should be “cautious” and avoid tightening its ultra-loose monetary policy too fast to avoid derailing a rebound in euro zone inflation, the ECB’s outgoing vice president Vitor Constancio said on Monday. “Inflatio... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The European Central Bank does not need to adapt its monetary policy after recent weakness in some euro zone economic indicators, ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said on Monday. Speaking on France Info radio, Coeure said that the eco... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone inflation appears to have disconnected from growth and remains subdued even as the currency bloc’s economy expands rapidly, European Central Bank chief economist Peter Praet said. “However, the ongoing economic expansion is expe... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi holds a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank dropped a long-standing pledge on Thursday to increa... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi holds a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Political deadlock in Italy following inconclusive elections has caused few wi... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi and Vice President Vitor Constancio arrive for a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT, (Reuters) – The European Central Bank dropped a ... More »
FILE PHOTO: Benoit Coeure, board member of the European Central Bank (ECB), is photographed during an interview with Reuters journalists at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Europ... More »
A security guard speaks on her mobile phone at the head office of the ABLV Bank in Riga, Latvia February 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank stopped all payments by Latvian lender ABLV Bank on Monday as its liquidity ... More »
FILE PHOTO: Business magnate George Soros arrives to speak at the Open Russia Club in London, Britain June 20, 2016. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Billionaire investor and activist George Soros has met a European Central Bank director... More »
DAVOS (Reuters) – Major economies should not target their exchange rates for competitive purposes and discussions among policymakers over currencies should be confined to official fora, European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure said on Friday. ”The last... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi holds a news conference following the governing council’s interest rate decision at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The euro’s recent... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi holds a news conference following the governing council’s interest rate decision at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central ... More »
FILE PHOTO: Jens Weidmann, President of German Bundesbank attends the Generation Euro Students’ Award ceremony at the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt June 20, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski/File Photo FRANKFURT/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone... More »
The European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters are pictured in Frankfurt, Germany December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT (Reuters) – One euro zone bank is falling short of the European Central Bank’s capital requirements, the ECB said on Monday, mea... More »
File Picture: Governor of the Bank of France Francois Villeroy de Galhau attends a news conference held at the close of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Chengdu in Southwestern China’s Sichuan province, Sunday, July 24, 2016. REU... More »
The European Central Bank should scrap plans for industry-wide rules to force banks to clean up bad loans, the head of the European Parliament's influential economic affairs committee said on Friday, as lawmakers dug in their heels in a dispute. More »
The European Central Bank on Thursday took a step towards weaning the euro zone off loose money on Thursday but promised years of stimulus and even left the door open to backtracking. More »
Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni's government will propose its candidate for Bank of Italy governor at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, a government source said on Monday. More »
It is time that authorities in Europe and the other rich parts of the world take the fight against financial bubbles "more seriously" or risk facing another financial crisis, the vice-president of the European Central Bank said on Tuesday. More »
Wages and inflation in the 19-country euro zone will eventually rise but more slowly than earlier thought, requiring continued patience from policymakers, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said on Saturday. More »
The European Central Bank will ask euro zone banks from next year to set aside more cash to cover newly classified bad loans and may also present additional measures to tackle the sector's huge stock of bad debt, it said on Wednesday. More »
European Central Bank policy will remain accommodative for longer than in previous cases of demand shock, likely limiting the negative impact of the euro's appreciation, ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said on Monday. More »
Euro zone inflation could rise back the European Central Bank's target of almost 2 percent in 2020 as ECB President Mario Draghi predicted on Thursday, Latvian central bank chief Ilmars Rimsevics told a news conference on Friday. More »
The European Central Bank will maintain its ultra-easy policy stance until it is happy with the path of inflation in the euro zone, ECB's policymaker Philip Lane said, citing a new round of cheap loans to banks as one of the available tools. More »
The European Central Bank should be careful not to miss the right moment to tweak its policy stance, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, one of the ECB's top critics, said on Friday. More »
European Central Bank policymakers meeting on Thursday were in broad agreement that their next step will be reducing their bond purchases and discussed four options, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussion said. More »
Governor of the Bank of France Francois Villeroy de Galhau attends a press conference after the Franco-German Financial Council meeting in Berlin, Germany, September 23, 2016. International bank regulators need to finalize tortuous negotiations on new bank cap... More »
FILE PHOTO: The European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo The European Central Bank has requested enhanced powers to supervise clearing activities, it said on Friday, a move to shore up its... More »
FILE PHOTO: A huge Euro logo is pictured by the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, September 29, 2011. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo The impact of the European Central Bank’s 2.3 trillion asset purchase program on inflation has b... More »
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Mario Draghi (R) and his wife (L) arrive at the Petruzzelli Theatre during a G7 for Financial ministers in the southern Italian city of Bari, Italy May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo European Central... More »
The headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) are pictured in Frankfurt, Germany September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Discord between the euro zone’s three largest countries is stalling the European Central Bank’s efforts to come up with ... More »
Canada’s Finance Minister Bill Morneau (R) speaks with Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann during the G7 for Financial ministers meeting in the southern Italian city of Bari, Italy May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi An economic recovery and robust outlook... More »
European Central Bank executive board member Peter Praet attends the 2016 Institute of International Finance (IIF) Spring Membership meeting in Madrid, Spain, May 25, 2016. REUTERS/Susana Vera The European Central Bank’s chief economist stood by the ECB’s pled... More »
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Euro zone money markets on Friday showed around an 80 percent chance that the European Central Bank could lift its deposit rate at its ... More »
President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi arrives for a news conference after the bank’s governing council meeting at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach The European Central Bank no longer sees a ... More »
