Competitive pressures have intensified but we still expect French banks’ profits to grow this year, supported by retail and corporate and investment banking. But profitability still lags EU peers, as large operating structures weigh on cost efficiency.

Wednesday, July 23rd 2025 - 3:00 PM (CEST)

Santander’s acquisition of TSB from Banco de Sabadell reflects a broader trend among EU banks of strengthening core markets via acquisitions, while for Sabadell, it represents a renewed focus on its domestic market.

The credit outlook for Spanish non-financial corporates is markedly favourable compared with the rest of Europe but the shallowness of domestic debt capital markets remains an obstacle for investment and growth at smaller companies, says Scope Ratings.

The methodology is now final following a call-for-comments period and will apply to all issuer and debt ratings of chemicals companies. The methodology might have a positive impact of one notch for one rated entity.

The methodology is now final and applies to all issuer and debt ratings of European retail and wholesale companies. The update refines Scope’s analytical approach and may have some negative impact on the current ratings of two issuers.

Collections in May 2025 rose 12% month-on-month to EUR 144m but were 38% lower than the average May volumes of the previous three years.

Les économies américaine et européenne connaîtront une croissance plus lente que prévue en 2025, contribuant à un ralentissement de la croissance économique globale. Les perspectives de l’économie mondiale restent orientées à la baisse, selon Scope Group.

The US and European economies will expand more slowly in 2025 than previously forecast, contributing to more moderate global economic growth, with risks for the global economy and global credit risk skewed to the downside, Scope Group says.

BPCE’s announcement of the acquisition of 75% of Novo Banco, Portugal’s 4th largest bank, from Lone Star Funds represents an important development in European bank M&A.