The European Central Bank has helped assuage fears of an imminent eurozone breakup, but sovereign, supranational and agency debt management officials must still contend with ratings downgrades and difficult political and fiscal situations in a number of countries. The Banker hears from a range of EU issuers both inside and outside the eurozone.
Western Europe
Latest articles from Western Europe
OTE corporate bond offers hope for Greece
April 2, 2013At the beginning of 2013, Greek telecoms group OTE launched a €700m bond issue. The largest corporate debt transaction from a Greek borrower since the sovereign debt crisis erupted in 2010, the deal’s success offered stark proof of changing sentiment towards peripheral Europe.
Deutsche Bank plugs Rexel into the markets
April 2, 2013Acting quickly was vital for Deutsche Bank to enable its private equity client to lower its holdings in a leading electrical supplier without unleashing sustained pressure on the share price.
Cyprus bail-in threatens to infect eurozone
March 25, 2013The situation in Cyprus is at crisis point, as The Banker goes to press, with banks closed to prevent a run in what analysts are calling the eurozone’s muddiest crisis so far. How did it come to this?
How can European banks make themselves investible?
March 22, 2013More radical steps are needed in reforming the structure, ownership and incentives for banks to make them a more attractive long-term investment.
Germany must share Cyprus' pain
March 22, 2013Germany cannot duck its responsibility for the mismanagement of a eurozone system from which its own exporters have benefited greatly.
Financial transaction tax misses the target
March 21, 2013Certain EU member countries want banks to foot the bill for plugging the budget deficit they helped to cause. But the resulting tax looks set to hit the real economy most of all.
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Western Union expands beyond consumer markets
March 20, 2013Chief information officer of Western Union Business Solutions, Nick Masterson-Jones, talks about bringing smaller businesses closer to the financial products and services that multinational corporations use.
International banking platforms: the new imperatives
March 1, 2013The economic changes that have taken place over the past few years have forced banks to fine-tune their business and expansion strategies, not just to stay competitive – or regain their competitive advantage – but to also keep abreast with new technologies and changing demands from clients.
The banking world's role in the Internet of Everything
March 1, 2013As the 'Internet of Everything' comes ever closer to becoming a reality, with the potential to change day-to-day life for consumers everywhere, banks need to be able to step up to the challenge of processing the billions of tiny transactions that will be involved and harness the data they generate.