Europe

Since the global financial crisis, central banks have accumulated powers over regulation and supervision of markets as well as over monetary policy. In 2019 politicians began to erode that with interventions that have raised questions over who should control markets. By Phil Thornton

The transition from one set of interest rate benchmarks to another is conceptually simple. But it is also unprecedented and has deeper consequences than many realised when Libor’s abolition was announced in 2017. With contracts worth hundreds of trillions of dollars referencing the disgraced benchmark, even small errors will have vast repercussions. PPI mis-selling? You ain’t seen nothing yet. Richard Kemmish reports

We have more multilateral development banks than ever before. They perform an invaluable job in a challenging and ever-changing world, but as they expand, and as new MDBs emerge, a fear is growing that they are being used as political tools by sovereign shareholders, keen to promote their own interests around the world. By Elliot Wilson

Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal helped pull the US out of the Great Depression. Climate change is a bigger crisis and requires a similarly total response. But is the European Commission being ambitious enough? And will politicians, business and society accept the changes required? Jon Hay reports

After years with little in the way of technological improvements, momentum is finally building behind several projects that could reshape primary capital markets. These systems will undergo their first tests in the SSA market. Intriguingly, the winner could come from either the public or private sectors. Burhan Khadbai reports

Christine Lagarde, the new European Central Bank president, has planted a flag, placing climate change at the centre of the ECB’s priorities. That is bold — and laudable — but if the ECB is to have a meaningful impact, green QE is not enough. The ECB must divest its holdings of unsustainable assets.

Debt market specialists this week put forward contrasting views on the policies the European Central Bank might use to tackle climate change, after Christine Lagarde, its new president, said her strategic review of its mandate and operations would encompass how the bank should respond to it. She also promised action on stablecoins. Burhan Khadbai and Lewis McLellan report.

Even the best in class make mistakes. Coventry Building Society, incredibly well capitalised when compared with its banking peers, has been overstating its common equity tier one (CET1) ratio. Correcting the mistake does not affect its capital ratio greatly, but the episode raises questions over governance according to one analyst.

Bankers predict that financial institutions will be looking to pack as much funding as possible into the first few months of next year, in a bid to avoid the event with biggest potential for volatility — the US presidential election in November.

Credit Suisse expects to make a pre-tax loss in its investment banking and capital markets (IBCM) division this year, it said at an investor day on Wednesday. But it pointed to a strong pipeline for 2020.

Italian superyacht maker Sanlorenzo was buoyant in trading on Tuesday after the company made its debut on the Borsa Italiana. However, the stock was under water by the close on Thursday, on very thin trading volumes.

Deutsche Bank has told investors that its investment bank is back on track. Cutting costs will be a crucial part of reaching growth targets. But after so many false starts, can it really be that simple, asks David Rothnie.