Sector

Apps and online investment services have led to a new type of consumer behaviour. Bank runs go viral, introducing a new type of liquidity risk for banks and investment services. The ECB warns the threat may not be ignored.

So-called AT1 bonds, also known as CoCos, were in focus on Monday as shares of European banks showed significant declines in the wake of the rescue of Credit Suisse engineered by Swiss authorities by merging it with UBS. 

UBS is acquiring industry peer Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs. They will pay 0.76 Swiss francs in UBS shares. The opening offer was initially 0.25 Swiss francs per share. As recently as Friday, Credit Suisse closed at a closing price of 1.86 Swiss francs, representing a market capitalisation of 7.3 billion Swiss francs. The combined entity will become Europe’s largest Globally Systemically Important Bank, also known as a G-SIB.

Negative global market sentiment against Swiss bank Credit Suisse meant Europe’s banking sector was under fire again on Wednesday, leading up to a evening statement by Swiss supervisors saying that they will commit liquidity to the bank.  The bank then said it plans to move swiftly to create “a smaller and more focused bank”.

“If necessary, the SNB will provide CS with liquidity,” the Swiss National Bank and regulator Finma said last night. 

Europe’s biggest asset manager Amundi on Tuesday said it does not believe that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the ensuing US banking crisis is an event that poses a systemic threat.

In a note to investors, Amundi’s top investment team, including Monica Defend (photo), Vincent Mortier and Matteo Germano, noted that the European banking sector “is in far better shape” than in the 2008 financial crisis. Nevertheless, they urged investors to watch out for areas of vulnerability. 

A solid balance sheet structure will help European banks buffer stressed market conditions following the collapse of their US peers Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Silvergate Bank, credit agency Moody’s said. 

Answering questions about the bank run on Silicon Valley Bank, the European Central Bank on Sunday underlined its concerns over how European banks are managing risks relating to increasing interest rates. The ECB reiterated that a recent supervisory review found weaknesses at banks, including ignoring consumer behaviour shifts that could lead to deposit withdrawals when rates rise. “Beyond a certain point, it could become an issue,” ECB chief bank supervisor Andrea Enria said in a Latvian interview last week.

The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry, the grand duchy’s leading fund and asset management association known as Alfi, turns 35 this year. It’s a milestone to be marked at its upcoming European Asset Management conference on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March. 

A total of 69 signatories representing the Luxembourg financial sector on Wednesday marked International Women’s Day 2023 by signing the newly launched Luxembourg Women in Finance Charter, seeking to improve gender diversity in the grand duchy’s financial centre.

The initiative, supported by the Luxembourg finance ministry, seeks to achieve greater gender balance and inclusivity across the Luxembourg financial services industry. Finance minister Yuriko Backes will act as the charter’s patron.

There’s a battle raging just out of view on Europe’s financial markets. It’s a fight between data originators – largely but not only the stock exchanges – and the data users – who could be anyone active on the markets  – over the proposed “consolidated tape” which aims to improve access to trading data. Selling access has become “probably one of their biggest cash cows,” said a representative for Europe’s asset management sector, commenting on the position of the stock exchanges.