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Sterling steadies after post-ECB tumble

Sterling steadied against the euro today after a sharp slide last week triggered by the European Central Bank's more hawkish tone, which overshadowed the Bank of England's rate rise.

Business • 07 Feb 22

The ABCs of the ECB

Economics is not all about numbers.

Business • 19 Jan 22

ECB focus groups will now gather suggestions about the overarching theme of the new banknotes

European Central Bank to redesign euro banknotes

The European Central Bank has said it plans to redesign the euro's banknotes over the next three years to make them "more relatable" to Europeans of all ages and backgrounds.

Business • 06 Dec 21

ECB President Christine Lagarde said the bank had talked about 'inflation, inflation, inflation' at today's meeting

Lagarde suggests markets expecting rate hikes too soon

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has today pushed back against market bets that runaway inflation would force a rate hike as early as next year, reaffirming the view that price pressures would ease by then.

Business • 28 Oct 21

The ECB is forecasting a further increase of annual inflation towards the end of the year

Euro zone inflation confirmed above ECB target in July

Euro zone inflation accelerated to 2.2% in July, its highest rate in nearly three years and above the European Central Bank's target of 2.0%, final data released on Wednesday by the EU statistics office showed, confirming its earlier estimate.

Business • 18 Aug 21

For mortgages, credit standards are expected to remain broadly steady, the ECB added.

Euro zone banks expect corporate loan demand to surge

Euro zone banks expect corporate loan demand to surge in the third quarter and see just a moderate tightening of credit standards or loan approval criteria, the European Central Bank said today.

Business • 20 Jul 21

ECB policymakers are set for a showdown as they chart a new policy path

Euro zone bond yields fall ahead of ECB policy meeting

Euro zone government bond yields fell on Monday ahead of Thursday's policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB), while concerns about the Delta variant of the coronavirus continued to dampen risk sentiment.

Business • 19 Jul 21

European Central Bank policymaker Ignazio Visco has said the ECB would not tighten its ultra-easy stimulus policy for a long time

ECB's Visco wants easy policy to support recovery

The European Central Bank should keep its policy ultra-easy to support the economic recovery in the euro area and insulate its financial markets from higher interest rates in the United States, ECB policymaker Ignazio Visco said.

Business • 15 Jul 21

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde

Euro zone & US economies in 'different situation' - ECB

The euro zone and the United States are "clearly in a different situation" when it comes the outlook for inflation, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said today, playing down any impact from across the Atlantic.

Business • 21 Jun 21

Philip Lane held private discussions with a select group of economists from the world's biggest banks

ECB reconsidering Lane's private calls with investors

The European Central Bank is considering whether chief economist Philip Lane should continue to hold private calls with investors after policy meetings, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Friday.

Business • 23 Jan 21

Investors had called for the ECB to relax the rules

ECB eases Covid-19 crisis ban on dividends

The European Central Bank has decided to let banks pay out part of their cumulated 2019-2020 profits to shareholders if they have enough capital, easing a blanket ban on dividends and buybacks set during the first wave of the coronavirus crisis.

Business • 15 Dec 20

Some 40% of respondents to the ECB's survey said that they have used cash less since the start of the pandemic.

Euro zone consumers go cashless due to Covid - ECB

Euro zone consumers have been paying more with cards and less with cash since the coronavirus pandemic began, and they plan to continue doing so after it ends, according to a European Central Bank survey.

Business • 02 Dec 20

Mr de Guindos was speaking during an IIEA webinar

Policy actions prevented systemic crisis ECB VP claims

The Vice President of the European Central Bank, Luis de Guindos, has said medium term risks to financial stability in the euro area have 'increased markedly.'

Business • 10 Jun 20

EU court hits back at German ruling on ECB support

The European Union's top court has said it alone has the power to decide whether EU bodies are breaching the bloc's rules, in a rebuke to Germany's highest court, which this week rejected its judgment approving the ECB's trillion-euro bond purchases.

Business • 08 May 20

The Central Bank claims its lifting of a key reserve requirement has given banks here the capacity for new lending of between €10-€16bn

Central Bank says ECB moves released €20bn for banks

The Central Bank has said recent actions by the ECB will release upwards of €20bn for Irish banks to borrow and potentially loan out in non-mortgage lending.

Business • 07 Apr 20

The European Banking Authority has postponed its stress test this year for big banks

Europe eases rules for banks, stress tests cancelled

European Union banking regulators have delayed this year's stress test and eased some capital rules to avoid lenders turning off the taps to an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

Business • 13 Mar 20

Minister for Finance to meet Christine Lagarde at ECB

The Minister for Finance will travel to Germany today to meet the new President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde.

Business • 25 Nov 19

Gross domestic product in the euro zone grew 0.2% in the three months from July to September

Euro zone Q3 growth unexpectedly steady

Euro zone economic growth in the third quarter defied market expectations of a slowdown and was steady quarter-on-quarter, preliminary data showed today.

Business • 31 Oct 19

New ECB boss Lagarde slams Germany for low spending

Incoming European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde today took aim at Germany and other euro zone members running budgetary surpluses.

Business • 30 Oct 19

ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said the euro zone is grateful to the UK

Brexit turmoil has dampened countries' calls to quit EU

Britain's turbulent experience divorcing from the European Union means there are no longer questions about other countries trying to leave the bloc, ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau has said.

Business • 18 Sep 19

Philip Lane recently took over as ECB Chief Economist

ECB ready to act to keep inflation on track - Lane

The European Central Bank is ready to act and has the tools it needs to keep inflation on track towards its goal of just under 2 percent, its chief economist said today.

Business • 09 Jul 19

Mario Draghi hinted at further economic stimulus from the ECB yesterday, much to the annoyance of Donald Trump who accused him of deliberately devaluing the euro

US Fed in the spotlight as ECB signals more stimulus

Both the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve are in the spotlight as the two major global regulators are expected to embark on a change of course in the coming months.

Business • 19 Jun 19

The ECB is one of the most male-dominated major European institutions

First woman to head ECB? Not likely yet

The ECB, never yet led by a woman, is one of the most male-dominated major European institutions.

Business • 11 Jun 19

ECB President Mario Draghi blamed factors ranging from China's slowdown to Brexit for the slowdown in the euro zone economy

Euro headed for second weekly loss after ECB's warning

The euro was headed for a second weekly decline today after the head of the European Central Bank said economic growth was likely to be weaker than previously expected.

Business • 25 Jan 19

Inflation might take longer to rise back to its near 2% target, the ECB's chief economist Peter Praet has said

Gauge of long-term euro zone inflation falls

A key market gauge of long-term inflation expectations in the euro zone area fell to its lowest level since November, new figures show today.

Business • 16 Mar 18