Press releases

“To end all crises?” download Finance Watch’s position paper on CRD IV / CRR

Download position paper 2 February 2012: Finance Watch has published its position paper on CRD IV, the European legislation implementing Basel III bank capital reforms. Key recommendations include: - higher capital requirements to accommodate maximum harmonisation - a flexible leverage ratio that measures gross derivatives exposure - more capital against securitisations - measures to encourage lending to businesses without [...]

A proposal for reforming credit ratings agencies (ECON)

Brussels, 24 January 2012: “Rating agencies are both judge and jury. We need a system that is altogether more technical and less emotional”. Finance Watch today gave evidence at a European Parliament public hearing on the European Commission’s proposed reforms of credit ratings agencies. Finance Watch Secretary General Thierry Philipponnat told the hearing that reforms [...]

Finance Watch responds to MiFID questionnaire

16 January 2012: The deadline for responses to European Parliament rapporteur Markus Ferber’s questionnaire on MiFID passed on 13 January 2012. A copy of Finance Watch’s response to the questionnaire can be found at the link below. Finance Watch plans to publish a more detailed position paper on the legislation in the next weeks. For [...]

Finance Watch is recruiting for an Office Manager

10 January 2012: Finance Watch is looking for an office manager to join its team in Brussels. The position would suit an organised, multi-lingual person with an interest in helping financial reform. Click here for details.

EESC hearing on civil society and financial regulation

28 November 2011: Finance Watch SecretaryGeneral Thierry Philipponnat today gave evidence at a public hearing of the European Economic and Social Committee entitled “The role of civil society in financial regulation”. The hearing was organised by the Committee’s ECO section (Economic & Monetary Union & Economic and Social Cohesion) following an EESC decision in January to [...]

Finance Watch announces new staff hires

18 November 2011: Finance Watch today announces that Benoît Lallemand and Frédéric Hache have been appointed as Senior Research analysts, and Sylvie Delassus has been appointed Head of Operations. Finance Watch is a non-profit public interest association dedicated to making finance work for the good of society. Benoît Lallemand has 10 years’ experience in the [...]

Finance Watch welcomes supervision of bank deleveraging

27 October 2011: Finance Watch is pleased that EU leaders have called on bank supervisors to protect the real economy from bank deleveraging; this is a topic we raised in an open letter to them last week. “By asking bank supervisors to ensure that the flow of credit to the real economy is maintained, EU [...]

Open letter to EU leaders – supervise bank deleveraging

19 October 2011: Finance Watch today asked EU leaders to take measures to protect the real economy in case new bank rules cut off the supply of credit. When EU leaders meet in Brussels on Sunday they will discuss a five-point plan for stability and growth put forward last week by President Barroso. The plan [...]

Comment on EU permanent ban on use of naked CDS

19 October 2011: Finance Watch welcomes news that the EU is to make the ban on naked use of credit default swaps (CDS) permanent, after Council and Parliament negotiators yesterday announced a ban on the so-called naked use of CDS with an opt-out to allow the hedging of certain correlated risks. “We are delighted that negotiators [...]

Finance Watch supports EC call for higher bank equity

14 October 2011: Finance Watch calls on governments to support the call by EC President José Manuel Barroso for higher bank equity capital while protecting the real economy through careful oversight of bank deleveraging. Press Release