EU banks lent €300bn as Covid hit

摘要

Banks provided the bulk of financial support to European corporates when the coronavirus outbreak forced many countries to lock down their economies in March. A report from consultant New Financial said net bank lending to corporates across the European Union and the UK in the four months from March to June was €302bn, nearly five times higher than the same period a year earlier. The total raised in the capital markets by around 800 EU and UK corporates also jumped to €370bn, up 45% from the year before. New Financial said the total value of outstanding bank loans in the EU 27 and the UK was at its highest level since 2009. Within capital markets, corporate bond issuance nearly doubled to €260bn and equity issuance rose by one-third to €47bn. The total amount of leveraged loans declined by a fifth to €65bn.