A sign is seen outside a BNP Paribas SA bank branch in Paris, France, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
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France BNP Paribas On Thursday he said there were simply too many European lenders for the region to compete with rivals from the United States and Asia, and called for the creation of more local heavyweight banking champions.
Speaking to CNBC's Charlotte Reed at the Bank of America Financial Sector CEO Conference, BNP Paribas CFO Lars Machenil expressed support for further integration in Europe's banking sector.
His comments come as Italy's UniCredit ups the ante in its apparent takeover bid for Germany's Commerzbank, while Spain's BBVA continues to actively pursue domestic rival Banco Sabadell.
“If I asked you how many banks there are in Europe, your correct answer would be 'too many,'” Machenil said.
“If we are very fragmented in terms of activity, the competition will not be the same as that seen in other regions. Therefore, what we need to do is consolidate it and get it going,” he added.
Milan-based UniCredit has stepped up the pressure on Frankfurt-based Commerzbank in recent weeks as it seeks to become the biggest investor in Germany's second-biggest lender with a 21% stake.
UniCredit, which acquired a 9% stake in Commerzbank earlier this month, appears to have taken German authorities by surprise with the potential multi-billion euro merger.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has already called for closer integration of the European banking sector, is firmly opposed to this apparent takeover attempt. Scholz has called UniCredit's move a “hostile attack.”
Germany's stance on the UniCredit takeover has led some to accuse Berlin of favouring European banking integration only on its own terms.
Internal consolidation
BNP Paribas's Machenil said that while internal consolidation would help stabilise uncertainty in the European banking environment, cross-border integration was “still a bit further away”, citing different systems and products.
Asked whether this meant he thought cross-border bank mergers in Europe seemed a distant reality, Machenil replied: “They are two different things.”
“I think that those that are done in one country make economic sense and should be done,” he continued. “If you look at cross-border cases, a bank that is based in one country and another in another, it doesn't make economic sense because there are no synergies.”
At the beginning of the year, the Spanish bank BBVA surprised the markets when it launched a takeover bid for all of the shares of its local rival, Banco Sabadell.
The head of Banco Sabadell said earlier this month that BBVA is highly unlikely to succeed in its multi-billion-dollar hostile bid. Reuters reportedAnd yet, BBVA CEO Onur Genç told CNBC on Wednesday that the acquisition was “progressing as planned.”
Spanish authorities, who have the power to block any merger or acquisition of a bank, have expressed their opposition to BBVA's hostile takeover bid, citing potentially damaging effects on the country's financial system.