FCA fined Barclays

26 November 2015

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today fined Barclays Bank (Barclays) £72,069,400 for failing to minimise the risk that it may be used to facilitate financial crime. The failings relate to a £1.88 billion pound transaction (Transaction) that Barclays arranged and executed in 2011 and 2012 for a number of ultra-high-net-worth clients. The clients involved were politically exposed persons (PEPs) and should therefore have been subject to enhanced levels of due diligence and monitoring by Barclays.

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The new €20, the third in the Europa series, enters into circulation today

25 November 2015

The new €20, the third in the Europa series, enters into circulation today. It has a refreshed look and more vibrant colours, and includes a new kind of security feature: a “portrait window” near the top of the hologram stripe which becomes transparent when seen against the light. The window reveals a portrait of Europa, a figure from Greek mythology, which is visible on both sides of the note. The same portrait is also visible in the watermark, alongside an emerald number which displays an effect of the light moving up and down when the note is tilted – exactly like in the €5 and €10 of the Europa series.
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One commom goal for The Hague Security Delta

11 November 2015

The Hague Security Delta (HSD) is the largest security cluster in Europe. In this Dutch cluster –with important regional hubs in The Hague, Twente, and Brabant– businesses, governments, and knowledge institutions work together on innovation and knowledge in the fields of cyber security, national and urban security, protection of critical infrastructure, and forensics. They share a common goal: more business activity, more jobs and a secure world.

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Stress test 2016 conducted by the European Banking Authority

05 November 2015

The European Central Bank (ECB) has today published the list of 39 euro area banks that will participate in the 2016 EU-wide stress test conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA). The EBA will coordinate the exercise in cooperation with national authorities and the ECB. The overall exercise will examine a total of 53 banks across the EU. It will help the public and other stakeholders to compare and assess the resilience of the banks, notably their ability to absorb shocks and meet capital requirements under adverse macroeconomic conditions.

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Four significant Greek banks in stress under stress test

03 November 2015

ECB Banking Supervision conducted a comprehensive assessment of the four significant Greek banks (Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank) in line with the decision by the Euro Summit on 12 July 2015 and the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission, acting on behalf of the European Stability Mechanism, the Hellenic Republic and the Bank of Greece, signed on 19 August 2015.

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