Eurozone banks may need €200bn to boost reserves

Eurozone banks may have to raise €200bn to boost their capital reserves under a proposal from the European Banking Authority (EBA).

The authority wants banks to boost their reserves in order to protect them from any future shocks in the financial markets. It is expected governments may have to provide some of the funds, the BBC reports. The EBA want the banks to up their reserve holdings to between 9% and 10% of their overall assets, after allowing for reductions in the value of their loans to Greece, the Irish Republic, Portugal, Spain and Italy. The French government had insisted the new money should be provided from the eurozone bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility. However, German mini...