European banks are looking stronger and more attractive than their U.S. counterparts on many metrics, according to officials and analysts speaking at the Institute of International Finance conference in Brussels this week, who add that regulation and collaboration is still needed to boost growth in the region.
The biggest bank in the U.S. is worth what the top nine or 10 European banks are due to weaker growth and less profitability since the 2008 financial crisis, Ana Botín, executive chair of Spain’s Santander Group, told CNBC at the event on Tuesday.
However, the top European banks have better levels of credit default swaps, a form of insurance for a company’s bondholders against default, “which means that fixed income investors think the risk of our debt is lower than the best banks in the U.S.,” Botín added.
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