European banks eye state debt-for-equity swaps

European Banking Federation president Jean Pierre Mustier

European banks, especially in Germany, are pushing for hard-hit borrowers to have easier access to state equity support as the economic impact of the coronavirus continues.

Banks have extended hundreds of billions of euros in coronavirus liquidity as part of new state-backed loans programmes, run through development banks such as Germany’s KfW and France’s BPI.

They have nevertheless had to take part of the risk of loans to all but the smallest companies.