Western Europe Archives

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Danish Banks Fire Moody’s For “Business Reasons”

MILESTONES: DENMARK By Gordon Platt Moody’s Investors Service says something is rotten in Denmark’s mortgage industry. The country’s banks are still issuing interest-only loans, years after the real-estate bubble burst. Copenhagen still home to interest-free mortgages Meanwhile, Denmark’s household ...

News

No Joy For Rajoy

NEWSMAKERS: SPAIN By Anita Hawser Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy is probably glad he is not running for office at present. Tough task to sort out Spanish banks Photo Credit : MATTHI/ Shutterstock.com Having swept to power in elections ...

News

Profumo Starts With A Splash At Monte Dei Paschi

NEWSMAKERS: ITALY By Luca Ventura When Tuscan bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena appointed the charismatic Alessandro Profumo as its new chairman in late April, the news made headlines around the world. Profumo is ready for the challenge ...

News

The Fate Of Europe In The Balance

NEWSMAKERS: FRANCE By Luca Ventura French president-elect François Hollande is a flag-bearer for adding growth incentives to a European fiscal agreement, rather than just doling out austerity measures. Hollande elated at defeating Sarkozy Photo Credit : SKPHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock.com ...

News

Johnsen Makes Few Friends With Norwegian Banking Rule Proposals

NEWSMAKERS: NORWAY By Luca Ventura A former bank teller, Norway’s finance minister Sigbjørn Johnsen is not too concerned about upsetting some of his erstwhile bank employers. Johnsen takes on Norway’s banks again Photo Credit : REUTERS/SCANPIX “It ...

News

New Derivatives Market Regulations Finally Adopted In Europe

MILESTONES: EUROPE By Anita Hawser It has been almost three years in the making and encapsulates European regulators’ response to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the implosion of the collateralized debt obligation market following the subprime crisis in ...

Banking

Shotgun Wedding For Spanish Banks

MILESTONES: SPAIN By Vanessa Drucker The merger agreement between CaixaBank and Banca Civica smacks of a shotgun wedding—for Civica, anyhow. Spanish banks forced to tie the knot by capital requirements CaixaBank, Spain’s largest bank by retail branches, is ...

Award Winners

World’s Best Banks 2012: Europe

By Thomas Clouse, Jonathan Gregson, Antonio Guerrero & Gordon Platt EUROPE Europe’s banks are being pulled in two directions. Governments want them to lend more, especially to small- and medium-size enterprises, while European and national regulators require them to strengthen their ...

News

Former PM Stands Trial As Outlook Improves For Iceland

NEWSMAKERS: ICELAND By Luca Ventura As his trial commenced in March in Reykjavik, Geir Haarde, the former prime minister of Iceland, was the first world leader to face criminal charges over the 2008 financial crisis. Haarde, 60, could serve up ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

FX: EU Debt Still Commands Center Stage

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: FOREIGN EXCHANGE By Gordon Platt The foreign exchange market continues to be rattled by Europe's debt crisis, analysts say the issue is far from settled. The foreign exchange market continues to be rattled by ...

News

Reding Lobbies For Board Member Quotas

NEWSMAKERS: EUROPE By Valentina Pasquali In the European Union, women comprise 60% of university graduates but only about 12% of corporate board members. Reding: Tackling red-hot issues such as gender parity The European Commission has decided to take action ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

SEPA: Impact Of Migration End-Dates

BINDING COMMITMENT By Anita Hawser The EC has finally announced a legally binding end-date for SEPA migration. Now companies and their banks must get serious about migrating. During a recent visit to her firm's Canary Wharf offices, ...