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Germany's Federal Constitutional Court (BVG) fired a warning shot at the European Central Bank this week. The court’s threat to stop the Bundesbank from taking part in official asset purchasing could have serious consequences for ECB monetary policy and, by extension, bond markets, just when the markets seem to be relying on the central bank more than ever, write Jasper Cox and Lewis McLellan.

Natixis’s corporate and investment bank slumped to a loss in the first quarter, results showed on Wednesday, as it provisioned for credit losses and took a similar hit in equities to its French peers.

European lenders are debating whether it is worth them taking advantage of new IFRS 9 transitional rules, with some market participants suggesting they will largely ignore any capital benefit gained through these sorts of relief measures.

When revealing its first quarter results on Wednesday, UniCredit said it would be updating its freshly launched Team 23 plan in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, which has dented profitability.

Citigroup is determined to emerge as a winner from the Covid-19 crisis and conquer the summit of global investment banking, in the face of any pull to concentrate more on home markets, writes David Rothnie.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management has hired a prominent expert to be its global head of sustainability and brought a senior banker from its capital markets arm to run its sustainable bond investing.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court (BVG) touched off a legal bombshell on Tuesday morning. It left the ECB in an impossible position: it can accept the court's verdict or ignore it, but either decision will undermine its efforts to stabilise Europe's capital markets.

Direct lending funds are likely to be the best choice for sponsors looking to fund buyouts this summer, with investment banks still sitting on substantial bridge books, and simplicity and certainty of execution being the top priorities.

The Loan Market Association (LMA) has set guidelines to clarify how borrowers and banks should implement green and sustainability linked loans.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that, while it was not illegal for the Bundesbank to participate in the the European Central Bank’s Public Sector Purchase Programme, the country's central bank may not participate in it unless the ECB can provide a thorough impact assessment. The decision rejected an earlier verdict by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

BNP Paribas blamed European authorities’ restrictions on 2019 dividend payments for losing it €184m in its equities business, when it released its first quarter results on Tuesday. However, in debt capital markets and fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) it was a more positive picture, as the bank took advantage of a surge in debt origination and electronic trading.

A group of veteran fund managers have launched a new boutique asset manager dedicated to responsible investing in emerging market equities.