Today’s need-to-know storiesEU cross-border bank M&A reaches highest level since 2008
Cross-border mergers between EU banks have reached their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, as stronger profits and buoyant share prices have driven a revival in dealmaking.
The total value of cross-border European banking transactions reached €17bn in 2025, up from €3.4bn a year earlier and the highest since the €19.5bn of deals recorded in 2008, according to Dealogic data reported by the FT.
Activity was driven by several multibillion-euro transactions, including Santander’s €7bn sale of much of its Polish business to Erste Bank, Groupe BPCE’s €6.4bn acquisition of Novo Banco and Crédit Mutuel’s €1.8bn takeover of OLB. There were 19 such deals in total.
Policymakers and some European bank executives have long argued that consolidation is essential to compete with larger US rivals.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television last week, UniCredit chief executive Andrea Orcel said the rise of fintechs and new technologies meant “the competitive landscape is going to change dramatically”.
“I’m pretty convinced that there will be fewer banks by 2030. There will be winners and losers and the dispersion between winners and losers will be much, much greater. Some will consolidate. Some will be wiped out,” he said.
US regulators edge closer to revised ‘Basel Endgame’ rules
US bank regulators have moved a step closer to reviving the so-called “Basel Endgame” framework of capital rules for large banks, according to filings published last week.
As reported by Reuters, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have submitted proposals to the Office of Management and Budget for review, a key stage in the rulemaking process.
The Basel Endgame package is intended to implement standards on how large US banks measure risk and set capital buffers.
A previous attempt under the Biden administration to impose stricter requirements drew strong opposition from the banking industry.
Reuters noted that no corresponding filing has yet been posted by the Federal Reserve, which shares responsibility for drafting the rules.
Fed vice-chair for supervision Michelle Bowman has previously said that US bank regulators are working towards publishing a revised proposal by early 2026.
ECB fines Crédit Agricole €7.55mn for climate risk failure
The European Central Bank has fined Crédit Agricole €7.55mn after the French lender failed to meet a deadline to assess its exposure to climate and environmental risks.
Under a supervisory decision issued in February 2024, the bank was required to improve how it identifies climate-related and environmental risks, and to complete a formal assessment by May 31 that year.
The ECB said Crédit Agricole failed to comply with the requirement for 75 days, resulting in daily penalty payments.
The enforcement action is part of a broader ECB effort, under way since 2020, to push lenders to improve their management and disclosure of climate risks, including through stress tests and bank-specific remediation deadlines.
The ECB said Crédit Agricole has the right to challenge the decision before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Mizuho under investigation for insider trading by Japanese regulator
Mizuho Financial Group, Japan’s third-largest bank, has confirmed its brokerage unit is under investigation by the country’s securities regulator, after the Nikkei newspaper reported that some of its employees are under suspicion of insider trading.
Nikkei reported on Monday that some employees within Mizuho Securities’ investment banking division are being investigated by Japan’s Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, though it did not disclose the source of the information.
In a statement, Mizuho Securities said it is fully co-operating with the regulator and the investigation is ongoing.