Finance Briefings

June 7, 2018

Why the EU Needs the City Too

The UK might appear to have the most to lose from Brexit if City firms find it harder to sell financial services into the EU. But London has actually consolidated its position as the world’s leading financial centre since the vote to leave, helped by strong signals that the UK at least will keep its markets open. The EU should follow this lead.
January 24, 2018

How to Develop Secondary Markets for Non-performing Loans?

The ECB seeks to increase trading in non-performing loans by reducing the pricing gap between prospective investors and banks. For this to happen, there need to be structural reforms aimed at reducing recovery times, as well as better access to information about loans and debtors. Only when the price offered by investors is in line with the price demanded by banks will we see more activity in distressed debt markets.
April 1, 2015

Company Finance in the EU, and the Capital Markets Union

Post-crisis financial regulation of banks and new regulations being developed for insurance companies have likely contributed to the dearth of financing for EU companies. The Commission must consider the adverse impact that regulatory measures, both at Union and Member State levels, have had on business finance.
September 1, 2014

Towards a Robust Financial Sector – How Should Tax and Regulation Evolve?

The economic and financial crisis has affected the ability of the EU financial sector to channel funds towards the real economy. Heavy dependence on bank intermediation, combined with bank deleveraging and reduced investor confidence, has reduced funding to the economy.