European Central Bank

Greek banks made new purchases of bonds and investment assets amounting to 9.3 billion euros in 2023, financed by the excess liquidity secured through the increase in deposits, as in the absence of sufficient demand for new loans the credit sector is looking for investment opportunities with high yields.

Business activity in the eurozone picked up in April thanks to "increasingly robust" growth in the services sector, a closely watched survey showed on April 23.

Experts suggest that Bulgaria's admission to the Eurozone is more realistic in January 2026, according to insights from Cinzia Alcidi of the Brussels Center for the Study of European Politics, as reported by Politico.

Buoyed by falling inflation, the European Central Bank is expected to keep borrowing costs on hold one last time on April 11 while laying the ground for a first interest rate cut in June.

The Frankfurt-based institution has left its key rates unchanged since October 2023, following an unprecedented streak of hikes to tame red-hot inflation.

The inflation that has squeezed European shoppers fell more than expected in March to 2.4 percent, as cost spikes in the grocery aisle eased and overall price rises headed down in the two biggest economies, Germany and France.

Greece's four major banks have until the end of the month to submit their capital plans for the next three years to the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) of the European Central Bank, based on which the request for the distribution of 2023 dividends of 10-30% will be assessed.

European Central Bank policymaker Yannis Stournaras said on Tuesday that consensus was building within the European Central Bank for a rate cut in June, if inflation develops as projected.

The European Central Bank must lower borrowing costs twice before its August summer break and two more times before the end of the year, without being swayed by the US Federal Reserve, Bank of Greece chief Yannis Stournaras has said.

ECB should not be influenced by Fed's moves, BoG governor says during London interview - "Real wages will only reach pre-pandemic levels in 2025" - What he said about the possibility of interest rates returning below 2 percent

The interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank and the increase in net interest income lead to an excessive accumulation of profits in Greek and European banks and fuel the inflation of banking greed ("bankflation"), warns the Center for Planning and Economic Research (KEPE).