UniCredit entered the Covid-19 crisis flush with capital. That money was earmarked for dividends and share buybacks. So far, it has gone on frontloading loan write-offs.

It’s easier to reach your destination if you know where you’re going.

The transformation plan appears to be working and as the investment bank regains market share, Deutsche looks better set for the coming consolidation.

The past year has brought new challenges for Crédit Agricole’s partnerships in products and distribution. But the wave of bank M&A sweeping Europe is also an opportunity – as its Creval deal shows.

Covid-19 has hit the Spanish lender particularly hard, but the pandemic could spur a longer-term strategic shift.

Every bank has had to balance Covid and geopolitics in 2020, but few have had it harder than HSBC

Every bank wants to rebrand as a tech player, but few are aiming as high as Sberbank.

The investment bank has proven its value in a tough year, but revenue stability is the challenge ahead.

After a year when credit markets propped up the financial performance of continental Europe’s biggest bank, concern remains about its credit risks.

Despite Covid, it was a good year for UBS and its outgoing chief executive Sergio Ermotti. Now it’s time for his successor Ralph Hamers to show his hand.

Turkey has been the outlier in CEE this year for many reasons.

Investors are locked in meetings with European growth companies that may go public in 2021, with Spacs now making it easier to list and raise substantial capital.

Emerging Europe’s dormant primary equity market springs back to life. Can the revival continue into 2021?

Critics of the US firm’s appointment to consult on integrating ESG into EU banking regulation have welcomed a damning report by the bloc’s ombudsman. But does it miss the point?

As the outsiders – those foreign nationals who turned around Europe’s largest banks – move on, it is not immediately obvious how well Lloyds’ António Horta-Osório fits Credit Suisse.

The recent wave of M&A has left behind weaker banks such as Banco BPM, Sabadell and, above all, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Jean Pierre Mustier’s exit from UniCredit shows why.

Jean Pierre Mustier’s decision to leave UniCredit raises the alarming prospect of the crippled Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena pulling down a much bigger and stronger Italian bank.

Pre-2008 M&A mistakes still stand in the way of a bolder bank purchase such as Banco BPM.

A new Swiss-Singaporean enterprise styles itself as the world’s first digital asset bank. It is regulated, resembles the structure of a mainstream bank and has some high-visibility advisers and investors, among them Peter Wuffli. Will it work?

Post-2008 accounting standards set aside capital for tomorrow’s problem loans today. In doing so, they rely on the judgements of the banks themselves. However, after Covid-19, European banks cannot afford to provision for write-offs in the same way as their US counterparts.

The bond market could be the answer to financing better preparedness for the next global pandemic.

Unbundling hits European research provision as providers grapple with transparency and valuation.

All governments are desperate for revenue. With Spain joining France and Italy in imposing an FTT, more countries may follow.

Selling its US bank to PNC fixes BBVA’s capital problem and allows it to consolidate in Spain. Arch-rival Santander’s similar troubles may be harder to solve.

The Swiss asset and wealth manager’s Natural Capital fund, launched on Monday, is a first of its kind in the public equity markets.

A global green recovery is still a distant ambition, but leadership across sectors is slowly coming together.

Tighter BTP-Bund spreads obviate the need for an international sub-holding, UniCredit CEO Jean Pierre Mustier tells Euromoney.

There is broad agreement that the ECB will not cut rates further, but the coronavirus pandemic is seen as the key factor governing the outlook for the euro.

Ralph Hamers’ project to centralize ING’s operations was flawed from the outset. Scrapping it is sensible, but a mark against his legacy.

Fear of Chinese advances with programmable money and Facebook’s Libra are pushing central banks to digital currencies, which may transform financial markets.