Vice President Luis de Guindos warned that weak Eurozone growth is raising financial stability risks due to weakening bank profits and rising concern over sovereign debt sustainability.

De Guindos said in a conference in Frankfurt that “in an environment where cyclical factors may exert further downward pressure on bank profitability, banks would need to step up their efforts to overcome structural challenges”.

Also, “such measures may include cost reductions – including lower staffing costs and streamlining of branch networks, enhanced digitalization – implying initial, one-off large-scale investments, revenue diversification and the reduction of the stock of non-performing loans in the six countries where levels are still high.”

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel painted a cautiously optimistic picture of ECB’s monetary policy landscape, implying that restrictive measures were beginning to bear fruit.

“We’re coming to the home stretch in the sense that we are reaching the area in monetary policy that’s considered restrictive,” Nagel noted, suggesting that ECB’s tightened policy stance was close to hitting its intended mark. He asserted his confidence that the monetary policy was indeed manifesting its effect.

However, he was quick to emphasize that ECB’s task was far from complete. “But we are not done hiking yet,” he added, “There is still work to be done on core inflation.”

Nagel emphasized the importance of staying the course with the current monetary policy, urging persistence. “We need to stay stubborn,” he said, reinforcing his commitment to seeing the central bank’s measures through.

Addressing concerns about the potential impact of the ongoing banking sector upheaval in the US on German banks, Nagel sought to allay fears. “German banks are in a fundamentally solid position,” he assured, indicating that he did not share the prevailing apprehensions over the stability of German banks.

In the annual report from Bundesbank, ECB Governing Council member Joachim Nagel emphasized the importance of caution and patience. “Even though it may be very tempting, it is too early to cut interest rates. This is because the price outlook is not yet clear enough,” Nagel stated.

Furthermore, Nagel’s call for perseverance reflects an understanding of the challenges inherent in steering monetary policy towards achieving price stability. “We should not let ourselves stray away from the path we have embarked on,” he advised, emphasizing the need for consistency and resilience in ECB’s policy stance.