Fitch Forecasts Extended Losses for ECB and EU Central Banks
According to Fitch Ratings, the European Central Bank (ECB) and central banks across the European Union are expected to endure "prolonged losses" due to increased borrowing costs
Standard & Poor's rating agency announced it will keep the United Bulgarian Bank, majority-owned by the National Bank of Greece, on its credit watch negative.
The agency affirmed its 'B-/C' long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings on United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) to reflect the bank's 'bb' anchor, adequate business position, capital and earnings, weak risk position, below-average funding, and moderate liquidity.
"The CreditWatch status reflects our view of the potential negative effects on UBB's funding base originating from the Greek financial crisis," the agency said in a statement.
According to Standard & Poor's analysts UBB still relies on funding from NBG to a limited extent, which makes it exposed to some contagion risk. This, in turn, could destabilize UBB's deposit base and constrain its access to wholesale funding.
The rating agency voices concerns over the significant deterioration in UBB's asset quality since the onset of the Bulgarian economic crisis in 2008. Levels of nonperforming loans appear to have peaked at around 27% in mid-2011 and have remained fairly stable since then at around 28% at year-end 2011.
The agency points out that Bulgaria has made a significant economic adjustment by reducing its deficit and it anticipates that the government would have the capacity to support UBB if NBG could no longer do so.
Bulgaria has the lowest minimum wage among the European Union member states as of January 2025, standing at 551 euros
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Economists have urged Bulgaria’s leadership to submit an application to the European Commission and the European Central Bank for an extraordinary convergence report on joining the eurozone
Representatives of Bulgaria’s ruling coalition have once again highlighted a significant deficit in the state budget, with Stanislav Balabanov from "There Is Such a People" (TISP) stating that 2025 will be a transitional year regarding the eurozone
Valeri Belchev, former acting Minister of Finance, recently expressed strong concerns about Bulgaria's financial management, particularly focusing on the lack of proper budget management tools
Kalin Hristov, former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank and former finance minister, expressed concern over the public discourse on key economic issues
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