The new rules of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) for dealing with non-performing loans will make an effective contribution to further scaling back crisis-era legacy risks, writes Bundesbank Executive Board member Joachim Wuermeling in an op-ed for the Handelsblatt. They are “ambitious, flexible and consistent”. However, the ECB cannot be expected to lay down generally applicable rules because it has no legislative powers to do so, Mr Wuermeling added.

The International Monetary Fund reports that the German economy can look forward to the expansion continuing in the near term, but warns in its Article IV Consultation that external imbalances could cloud the upbeat outlook over the medium term.

Das Direktorium der Europäischen Zentralbank (EZB) hat Patrick Amis zum Generaldirektor der Generaldirektion Mikroprudenzielle Aufsicht III ernannt.