Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 15, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 19, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleECB's De Guindos advocates a balanced Basel 3 adoption to protect European banks' competitiveness amid US delays.
By Valentina Za
MILAN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Defending the competitiveness of European banks requires pacing the adoption of global banking rules known as Basel 3 in line with other countries, a top European Central Bank policymaker told lawmakers on Thursday.
Addressing the European Parliament in Brussels, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said delays in the United States on implementing Basel 3 had to be taken into account.
"Even if U.S. authorities say they will implement Basel 3, we have not seen that so far, so we need to have a balanced approach if full implementation is going to give rise to a competitive disadvantage," De Guindos said.
De Guindos, who chairs an ECB task force dedicated to simplifying EU banking rules, noted the EU has delayed the full adoption of banks' trading book capital rules to 2027.
The United States, which has opted for a phased rollout between July 2025 and 2028, as of August was still reviewing the final rule according to consultancy PwC.
"We have been in favour of the faithful and swift implementation of Basel 3, but at the same time banking is a global business," he said.
He defended the ECB's regulatory and supervisory framework, saying it had supported the valuations of European banks since COVID despite industry complaints. He dismissed the idea that capital requirements impair lending and reiterated support for cross-border consolidation.
On Italy's use of special powers to influence banking mergers, De Guindos said Italy was not the only country to take such an approach and the European Commission was addressing such hurdles.
Italy and Spain last year blocked domestic banking takeovers, while Germany opposes UniCredit's ambitions over Commerzbank.
"It's not only the case of Italy … there are very concrete examples where the authorities have put forward difficulties," De Guindos said.
Asked about bank taxes, De Guindos said the ECB's view was unchanged: levies should not impair lending or endanger financial stability.
(Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Basel 3 is an international regulatory framework established by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision aimed at strengthening regulation, supervision, and risk management within the banking sector.
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy within the Eurozone, aiming to maintain price stability and oversee the banking system.
Banking mergers occur when two or more banks combine to form a single entity, often to enhance competitiveness, expand market reach, or achieve operational efficiencies.
Financial stability refers to a condition where the financial system operates effectively, with institutions able to withstand shocks and maintain confidence in the economy.
Capital requirements are regulations that require banks to hold a certain amount of capital reserves to absorb potential losses and promote stability in the financial system.
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