European Association of Co-operative Banks

Cooperatives United to Drive Change!   Rooted in democratic governance, proximity and long-term value creation, the cooperative model is essential for achieving Europe's sovereignty, competitiveness and economic transitions   This was a key message from #cooperative leaders and public authorities at the European Commission event “Fostering Europe’s Prosperity and Industrial Transformation: Cooperatives as Drivers of Change”.   Our CEO, Nina Schindler, highlighted the impact of the model in banking: "With 90 million members, 225 million customers, and entrenched branch networks, cooperative banks anchor the financial system in the real economy, ensuring financial stability and prosperity even the most remote regions."    As the United Nations 2025 Year of Cooperatives #IYC2025, now is the time to educate on the cooperative core values: democracy, sustainability, and social commitment. Cooperatives present an inclusive and equitable way forward for shaping Europe and beyond.   #Coops #EU #SocialImpact #Sustainability #Democracy #CooperativeBanks #UNYearOfCooperatives

Driving Sustainability and Competitiveness in the Financial Sector 🪴 At the Bloomberg Future of Finance 2025 event in Paris, Priscille Szeradzki, Deputy CEO of Confédération Nationale du Crédit Mutuel & President of EACB, shared valuable insights on how Europe’s financial sector and in particular #coopbanks can balance sustainability with competitiveness in an increasingly complex global landscape. As the EU navigates political turbulence, fiscal challenges, and environmental crises, Priscille Szeradzki emphasized the importance of long-term investment in innovation and sustainability to drive growth and economic recovery. With climate risks intensifying, businesses must balance immediate disruptions with long-term opportunities for sustainable investment and innovation. 🌱 Key Insights on the Role of #Cooperative Banks: ➡️ Sustainability & Competitiveness Go Hand in Hand: cooperative banks are key to maintaining a competitive banking industry, providing 23.3% of all loans and securing 22.4% of deposits in the EU. Cooperative banks have shown remarkable growth, outperforming the broader banking sector in loan portfolios over the past decade. ➡️ Simplified Regulatory Frameworks: To stay competitive and foster sustainability, a simpler regulatory environment is crucial. The European Single Rulebook has become burdensome. The EACB advocates for a comprehensive review to reduce complexity and promote growth. Simplified regulations will not only help banks be more efficient but also enable them to direct more resources to sustainable projects. ➡️ Sustainability as Efficiency: Sustainability is closely tied to efficiency—efficient use of resources leads to long-term gains. Cooperative banks are leading the charge in financing energy transition, decarbonisation, and nature restoration. Through collaboration with EU institutions, they are driving practical, impactful solutions for the future. The road to a sustainable economy will require significant investment, but those investments will bring rewards. With the right approach, the financial sector can drive the transition to a greener, more resilient economy. 💡 Key Takeaway: Achieving leadership in both sustainability and competitiveness isn’t a contradiction—it's a pathway to long-term success. #SustainableFinance #GreenFinance #EACB #CooperativeBanks #ClimateAction #Innovation #FutureOfFinance #EU #Banking #Leadership

  🤝 Cooperation in Action: Communication Team from Confédération Nationale du Crédit Mutuel's Visit to Brussels What a pleasure it was to welcome the talented communication team from our member,Confédération Nationale du Crédit Mutuel, to our premises! The meeting provided a fantastic opportunity to connect, share insights, strengthen our collaboration, and align our efforts in promoting our shared messages. Their visit highlighted the strength of our membership and our collective commitment to promoting and defending the core values of cooperative banks. A big thank you to the CNCM's team for the productive and inspiring discussions. We’re excited for the great things ahead! 🤝 #Coopbanks #Membership  #Collaboration #Teamwork #CréditMutuel #FromParistoBrussels

🚀 Cooperatives (Banks) as Drivers of Change! 🚀 With their core values of democracy, sustainability, and social responsibility, and their deep-rooted connections to local communities, cooperatives are a powerful response to the challenges we face today! 💪 What a great opportunity to exchange ideas with our coop peers and amplify our shared vision at the "Cooperatives as Drivers of Change" event, organized by the European Commission in collaboration CECOP, the European Economic and Social Committee, and Cooperatives Europe. Priscille Szeradzki, President of EACB, represented #coopbanks in the panel discussion "Scaling up & Growing: Boosting Investment & Finance for Cooperatives" alongside Jan Tibor Böttcher (Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken (BVR)) and Víctor Meseguer Sánchez (Abacus, Spain). Together, they discussed the challenges and opportunities for cooperatives in securing financing. 💬 "Cooperative banks play a unique role in the financial ecosystem, blending member ownership, democratic governance, and strong local ties. This alignment allows us to collaborate closely with various types of cooperatives, understanding their challenges and opportunities. Beyond just financing, we engage deeply, offering tailored advisory services and using our expertise in cooperative models to create practical, sustainable solutions." – Priscille Szeradzki The future of cooperatives is bright, and with the right regulatory framework, they can continue to be powerful drivers of change in the global economy. 🌍 #Cooperatives #EACB #CooperativeBanks #EU #Competitiveness #Sustainability #Finance #SocialImpact

📢 New EACB Response to ESMA Consultation 📢 The EACB welcomes the opportunity to comment on ESMA’s draft regulatory technical standards for the EU Code of Conduct on issuer-sponsored research. We support ESMA’s efforts in this area, however we believe certain aspects require further attention. You can read our full response for more details - 🔗https://lnkd.in/ewcUemGc #EACB #ESMA #IssuerSponsoredResearch #CooperativeBanks #EU #financialmarkets

🚨The EACB welcomes the European Banking Authority (EBA) initiative to further clarify the approval process of model changes and extensions of the internal models. In this context, we would like to put forward some areas that would need refinements in the final version of the RTS to ensure a practical implementation process and avoid ambiguity and unnecessary burden on institutions.   In our response to the EBA consultation, we highlighted areas where further refinements are needed: ✅ Clearer Definitions: Routine updates, like extending calibration datasets, should not automatically trigger ex-ante notifications unless they involve significant model changes. ✅ Proportionality in Materiality Criteria for the DoD: The classification should be dependent on the significance of the quantitative impact and on the assessment of the newly introduced qualitative backstop measure. ✅Clarification regarding acquired portfolios: Institutions that can prove representativeness and comparability of the portfolio should be able to extend the already approved IRB rating in a form of an ex-ante notification without considering whether the acquired portfolio is under standardised approach. ✅Revised threshold related to the materiality of extensions: The envisaged quantitative threshold on the rating system level would disproportionately punish smaller rating systems. ✅ Streamlined Documentation Requirements: Validation reports should be required only for substantial portfolio extensions to avoid unnecessary operational burdens. These adjustments will strike the right balance between regulatory oversight and practical implementation, ensuring that institutions can remain efficient while meeting supervisory expectations 📢 Read more about our position here: https://lnkd.in/e57zCieM #EACB #CooperativeBanks #IRBApproach #Regulation 

The EACB comments on the European Commission’s call for evidence regarding the targeted amendment to the prudential treatment of SFTs and short-term unsecured transactions under the NSFR. 🔍 Key Highlights: The EACB supports the continuation of the current transitional prudential treatment for SFTs and unsecured transactions. Higher RSF factors would increase the costs for SFTs, reducing the liquidity of collateral markets and affecting the liquidity management of financial intermediaries. For banks, the Basel treatment will translate into higher costs and reduce their ability to cover short positions on securities. Higher RSF factors would make funding more expensive for banks, reducing liquidity in sovereign debt markets. Market making in sovereign debt would in fact be impacted, as this is a high volume/low margin activity that heavily relies on the repo market, which would become uneconomical (with a cost increase above its structural low margin). The competitiveness of the EU banking system, and financial market more in general, should be taken in greater consideration in the policy approach. The expected increase in costs would create a competitive disadvantage compared to banks in other jurisdictions. ⚠️ Way forward: Commission's action is crucial to address potential unintended consequences and mitigate undue stress in the market as early as possible. We appreciate the Commission's intention to submit a legislative proposal shortly after this call for evidence. 💡 Our Perspective: The EACB calls for a balanced approach that takes into account the competitiveness of EU banks while maintaining financial stability. The current transitional RSF factors have proven prudentially sound since June 2021, as did the broader liquidity regulatory framework. Moreover, they have supported the development of liquid sovereign debt markets and diversified secured transition markets for EU debt instruments without raising significant financial stability concerns. The recent liquidity crisis and the limited effects on the EU banks are clear evidence of that. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eGMDgbNk #Banking #Finance #EURegulation #NSFR #Sustainability #EACB  

📢 The EACB submits its Response to the European Commission’s Call for evidence on the Savings and Investments Union (SIU) The EACB is pleased to contribute with its inputs to the European Commission’s Call for evidence on the Savings and Investments Union (SIU). Developing a SIU, encompassing both the Banking Union and the Capital Markets Union, while maintaining a diversified financial and banking system and remaining globally competitive, is vital. #Coopbanks are uniquely positioned to contribute to the SIU’s objectives by promoting retail investor participation, mobilizing savings, and ensuring financing for SMEs and infrastructure projects. We believe that in order to unlock the potential of securitisation, legislators should work towards a more supportive regulatory framework for institutions like cooperative banks, enabling to engage in securitisation effectively. To meet the SIU goals, policymakers should: ➡️ Align Capital Markets Initiatives with Bank Financing & Banking Union incentives ➡️ Focus on Investors, Enhance Existing Instruments, Promote financial education and collaborate with industry stakeholders ➡️ Reduce Regulatory Complexity, Ensure Consistency and Minimize Revisions ➡️ Enhance Securitisation and SME Financing Strengthen Equity Financing and Reduce Tax Barriers ➡️ Enhance Long-Term Investment Tools ➡️ Leverage EU Guarantees for Risk Reduction   To learn more, please read our full response here https://lnkd.in/e96CyNhR   #SavingsAndInvestmentsUnion #SIU #CMU #CooperativeBanks #EACB #CapitalMarkets #EU #BankingUnion

🔹 Simplification & EU Competitiveness: Time to Revisit FiDA 🔹   The EU’s simplification and competitiveness agenda are duly noted. As are the omnibus packages being released. But should we not also look at legislation developed under the previous legislature? The EACB would see at least the FIDA proposal as being in need of revision as it lacks clear customer demand, has an overly broad scope, lacks operational feasibility, presents an unrealistic timeline for the rollout of the schemes, and relies excessively on Level 2 measures. To align with the EU’s agenda, FiDA must: ✔ Focus on two targeted, evidence-based use cases ✔ Limit FiDA’s application to natural persons and SMEs in the EU ✔ Exclude gatekeepers ✔ Allow a market-led rollout over 5+ years ✔ Address operational concerns regarding the permission dashboard ✔ Avoid excessive reliance on RTSs and Guidelines   Without key adjustments, FiDA risks harming consumers and Europe’s banking sector—EACB would advocate for its withdrawal if these concerns are not addressed. Find our full recommendations here: https://lnkd.in/debc97ZT   #EU #FinancialRegulation #Competitiveness #DataAccess #DigitalFinance #EACB