Statement by Manfred Weber, Chief Executive of the Association of German Banks, on the results published today of CEBS's bank stress tests

"Today's results show that the European banking system is in better shape and more resistant to crises than was anticipated in some circles. Overall, the German banks performed well. The government debt crisis experienced by some euro countries in May, combined with a banking system still weakened as a result of the financial and economic crisis, had given rise to considerable uncertainty in the markets. By publishing the findings of stress testing for the first time, supervisors have now created more transparency, which will ultimately help to calm the markets and restore confidence." more ...

SCHUL/BANKER, the Association of German Banks’ business game, has this year been awarded the Comenius Seal of Approval. This is a seal of quality issued by the Society for Pedagogy and Information (Gesellschaft für Pädagogik und Information, GPI), an academic society for media didactics and educational technology, for didactic multimedia products of outstanding educational value, content and design. more ...

To facilitate business activities in Europe, especially within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), German and French banks have agreed on providing a common protocol for financial transactions on the internet which standardises communication between corporate clients and banks - the Electronic Banking Internet Communication Standard (EBICS). more ...

The Association of German Banks commented as follows on the plan to build up resolution funds in member states unveiled today in Brussels by EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier. more ...

The financial crisis has highlighted shortcomings in the global banking system. Banks have recognised this and independently launched initiatives to address these shortcomings in order to make the system more crisis-resilient. This is documented in detail in, for example, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) report of December 2009. more ...

The implications of introducing an additional regulatory constraint on banks - business activities in the form of a leverage ratio.
Summary [PDF - 502 KB]

Key elements of a reorganisation regime for institutions in the financial sector
Executive summary [PDF - 80 KB]

“The introduction of a leverage ratio won't help to stabilise the financial system – on the contrary,” warned Dirk Jäger, Managing Director for Banking Supervision and Accounting at the Association of German Banks, in Frankfurt today. While the Association was in favour of higher, risk-appropriate regulatory capital requirements, a leverage ratio would not achieve this, he said, adding that a leverage ratio did not take into account the riskiness of financial transactions and hence created perverse incentives. Mr Jäger said his remarks were backed up by the findings of a study carried out by the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, which was presented today. more ...

In Berlin the Association of German Banks unveiled a new standard for German SME securitisations. "Our goal is to revitalise the securitisation market, where investor confidence was largely lost as a result of the financial crisis," announced Markus Becker-Melching, Managing Director for Competition and SME Policy. "The primary objective is to support the funding of SMEs." Securitisation was an important tool for the banks, he said, enabling them to free up capital and create scope for lending. more ...