MADRID, 11 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), Andrea Enria, stated this Monday that banking taxes, such as the one that exists in Spain, run the risk of “reducing the investor attractiveness” of the financial sector, since that “gives the impression” that if a bank makes profits, someone must “intervene.”

Furthermore, the Italian has expressed concern about the possible chronicification of rates of this type, since they could harm the banks’ appreciation of the risks derived from interest rates.

This would be because these taxes would be oriented, precisely, towards the margins obtained by the rate increase without taking into account the provision necessary to face them.

However, Enria has acknowledged that banks may have “part of the responsibility” for these taxes existing due to their delay in passing on interest increases to their clients.

On the other hand, Enria has stated that the ECB will withdraw the penalties for extra capital needs to which some financial institutions are subjected after having solved their leverage problems.

However, the Italian has not given specific names and has recalled that some banks will continue with these requirements “for some time.” He has also made it clear that he will “probably” require extra capital from more firms next year.

In this sense, the president of the ECB’s Supervisory Board has indicated that the annual review process for banks (SREP) should “focus more on risk”, be more selective and not be so focused on the capital.

This, however, does not have to translate into lower capital requirements, but rather into more “qualitative measures”, which do not have to be “less demanding or less challenging” for banks than the existing ones.

Enria, as an example, has cited periodic fines that would come into force if an entity does not correct deficiencies detected by the supervisor in its accounts in time, or ‘cease and desist’ orders that limit the ability to carry out acquisitions if they do not solve their problems. management and governance.