Dear Colleague,
Today, S&P Global Ratings published: “Global Banks Midyear 2019 Outlook: Low For Longer And Digital Prompt Further Rethink“.
Credit conditions remain supportive for banks globally going into third-quarter 2019, even if the trade battle between the U.S. and China as well as geopolitical tensions are undermining confidence and economic momentum across the globe. It has prompted the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to recently take a more dovish stance, leading to financing conditions that remain broadly supportive for banks worldwide. That said, “low for longer” interest rates and increasing competition from nonbank players, including fintechs, are putting more pressure on bank profitability and business models.
Below are the key takeaways from our report:
- Credit conditions remain supportive for banks going into third-quarter 2019, even if trade and geopolitical tensions are undermining confidence and economic momentum.
- The Fed’s and ECB’s responses to counter the slowdown are positive for banks’ funding conditions but continue to call into question their business models given that margins will remain low for longer. The pressure on profitability is higher in Europe and Japan.
- The vast majority of outlooks on banks is stable globally, and the bias has become less positive in Europe.
- Credit losses have likely bottomed out in many countries, while capitalization is unlikely to improve further.
Read the full article, along with further key takeaways here.
To read more of our articles, visit our dedicated Themes in Global Banking hot topic page.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Kind regards,
Emmanuel Volland
Senior Director – Global FI Sector Lead
Financial Services, Sovereigns & IPF