Financial Regulatory Forum

By Huw Jones and Krista Hughes

LONDON/BASEL, Switzerland, March 8 (Reuters) – European Union finance ministers will discuss next week how to dampen speculation on sovereign credit default swap markets, sources said, as central bankers worry some selling practices pose wider risks.

Greek debt has come under pressure as the country seeks to tackle a ballooning deficit and some politicians say speculators using CDSs, intended to insure against any risk of debt defaults, are amplifying the country’s problems.

“The European Commission may bring forward an initiative at the 16 March Ecofin,” an EU diplomat said.

A senior trading official expects the Commission to say it is studying CDS trading rather than bringing in an immediate ban on “naked” selling of CDS, where the buyer of a contract does not own any of the underlying asset it insures.

Financial Stability Board Chairman, Mario Draghi, said greater regulation would be the natural outcome.

BERLIN, Jan 20 (Reuters) – The Group of 20 economic powers needs to develop a set of rules to prevent banks becoming so big that they can hold governments to ransom, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

“This year is about implementing the regulations that have been agreed during the G20 process,” Merkel told parliament during a budget debate.

“It is also about finding further regulations, and that applies especially for the G20 meetings … to find ways to prevent banks becoming so big or so complex that they can hold us to ransom again,” she added.

   By Madeline Chambers
BERLIN, Oct 26 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended on Monday her plans to pursue billions of euros in tax relief in the face of rising debt, saying the tough savings course favoured by her critics would damage a fragile recovery.

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By Matthias Sobolewski
BERLIN, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their Free Democrat allies have agreed the basics of an overhaul of Germany’s banking supervision framework, participants in coalition talks said on Thursday.

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By Madeline Chambers
BERLIN, Sept 28 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled on Monday she would resist pressure for radical reforms from her likely new coalition partners, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), and stick to a path of gradual change.

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By Giuseppe Fonte and Caren Bohan
PITTSBURGH, Sept 24 (Reuters) – The United States said on Thursday there was broad support for its vision to build a more stable global economy and crack down on banks’ risky behavior, although G20 countries were still hashing out the details.

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By Madeline Chambers and Emily Kaiser
BERLIN/PITTSBURGH, Sept 24 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday a U.S. drive to rebalance the global economy risked distracting the Group of 20 from a more urgent need for market regulation at their Pittsburgh summit.

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By Huw Jones and Anna Willard
PARIS, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Banks with low levels of capital will not be able to offer large bonuses under guidelines the G20 is set to discuss this month, the Financial Stability Board said on Tuesday.

“It’s important that firms conserve profits so they can rebuild capital and support lending,” FSB Chairman Mario Draghi told a news conference.

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By Yann Le Guernigou
CALIGNY, France, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Britain, France and Germany called on the G20 on Thursday to discuss exiting measures implemented to tackle economic crisis, as well as limits on bank bonuses, at an upcoming summit in Pittsburgh.

In a joint letter to European leaders, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said major economies had to avoid creating new global imbalances as the recession receded.

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By Anna Willard
BRUSSELS, Sept 2 (Reuters) – European finance ministers pledged on Wednesday to clamp down on banker bonuses, raising the prospect of spreading such payouts over years or demanding back money if business turns sour.

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