Bankinter far surpasses the minimum capital requirement set by the ECB

Bankinter comfortably exceeds the European Central Bank's minimum capital requirements for the institutions under its supervision, which have been announced today by the banks themselves.

Under this requirement, Bankinter must have a minimum CET 1 capital ratio of 8.75%, which includes the 4.5% of Pillar 1 that may be required under the regulations and the 4.25% of Pillar 2 including the capital conservation buffer. In short, this is the lowest minimum capital ratio required by the ECB of a Spanish bank.

It should be emphasised that at the end of the third quarter of this year Bankinter had a CET 1 capital ratio of 11.85%, placing it 310 basis points above that required by the European regulatory institution.

The ECB informed the banks of the minimum capital thresholds announced today at the end of November, following completion of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process for 2015, in which it assessed the risk profile of the institutions, their management and governance strategies and processes, their capital and liquidity levels, and the business model under which they operate .

In that respect, the lower amount of capital required, together with Bankinter's current level of core resources, which is well above the minimum required, highlights the excellent situation of the bank in terms of solvency and asset quality, and in terms of solidity and strength they place Bankinter above any comparable Spanish and European bank.

Bankinter considers this new exercise in transparency in the sector as a positive step, as it entails giving the market access to more comprehensive information about the different institutions, thus favouring a more homogenous and global comparative framework.