In an interview, European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos defended maintaining current capital levels for European banks while positioning the ECB’s simplification work as focused on reducing unnecessary supervisory and reporting burdens rather than lowering resilience. He also reaffirmed the importance of central bank independence for inflation control and interest-rate outcomes, and said operational cooperation with the Federal Reserve, including liquidity backstops, remains unchanged. De Guindos argued that an independent central bank is more credible and is associated with a lower yield curve than a non-independent one, warning that a loss of independence can turn monetary policy into a tool of fiscal policy. On cross-border cooperation, swap lines and the provision of US dollars were framed as mutually supportive of transatlantic financial stability, while euro area stability was described as primarily a European responsibility alongside the European Commission. He said no concrete decisions have been taken on expanding swap or repo lines beyond the Federal Reserve, and that strengthening the international role of the euro depends mainly on European reforms such as completing the Single Market, capital markets union and banking union. On banking capital and simplification, he said current capital requirements are not constraining lending according to the bank lending survey and are a competitive advantage, while the ECB’s simplification proposals span the capital stack, supervision, stress testing, buffers and reporting, including a move toward a single communication channel between banks and supervisors. For Additional Tier 1 (AT1), he described two options under consideration: limiting minimum capital requirements to equity only or making AT1 more equity-like by adjusting features such as coupons, callability and conversion triggers, with the latter attracting greater Governing Council support. Discussions with the European Commission are expected ahead of its final simplification report later in 2026, with legislative changes implied for some elements, while separate ECB Banking Supervision actions are already being implemented or prepared where no legal amendments are needed.
European Central Bank 2026-01-15
European Central Bank vice-president defends euro area bank capital and outlines supervisory simplification and AT1 reform options
ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos stressed maintaining current capital levels for European banks and simplifying supervisory burdens without reducing resilience. He highlighted central bank independence for inflation control, cooperation with the Federal Reserve, and potential European reforms to strengthen the euro's international role, noting discussions with the European Commission on simplification and legislative changes.