All Articles

While the European Union continues to push for greater banking consolidation across the continent, Italy’s banking landscape tells a far more complicated story. The attempted takeover of Mediobanca by Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), involving two of Italy’s most prominent financial institutions, has unfolded as a complex interplay of financial manoeuvres, political decisions, and judicial scrutiny. Government support for the creation of a new banking powerhouse has ignited i

Spanish banking heavyweight Santander has agreed to pay a hefty €22.5 million fine in France, drawing to a close a protracted money laundering investigation centered on its French subsidiary, BPI Paris. The settlement was reached through a judicial public interest agreement, or Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Public (CJIP), a mechanism that enables corporations suspected of financial crimes to resolve proceedings by paying a substantial monetary penalty. This brings an end to

European football has been pulled into an extraordinary compliance conflict after a series of FIFA rulings — compounded by the existence of the FIFA Clearing House as a centralised payment system — placed clubs under pressure that closely resembled the dynamics typically associated with sanctions-evasion exposure. These decisions arrived while EU, UK, and US sanctions regimes barred payments to a range of Russian clubs and their banking partners, shutting down all lawful paym

The European Central Bank is entering the final stretch before announcing a new package of banking rule simplifications, with ECB President Christine Lagarde confirming that the long-awaited review of supervisory regulations has been completed and is set for publication in the coming days.   Speaking before the European Parliament, Lagarde revealed that “next Thursday, Vice President Luis de Guindos will present very specifically — I think there are 15 different areas for whi

Meta Platforms on Wednesday sharply criticised what it described as “aberrant” and excessively intrusive demands for information issued by EU antitrust regulators during two investigations launched four years ago, marking a new peak in corporate resistance to what many companies argue are disproportionate regulatory powers.     The company — which had earlier compared the European Commission’s data-gathering approach in the Facebook social network and online classified ads pr

Brussels is considering another round of restrictive actions aimed at those enabling Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” to move oil, as the bloc intensifies efforts to curb Moscow’s capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.   Sources say EU foreign ministers, gathering in Brussels on Thursday, will examine ways to boost cooperation with ship-registering nations in order to disrupt Russia’s methods for evading existing sanctions.   In a document circulated ahead of the meeting, Pola

VFS Global has cautioned UAE travellers against relying on the widespread belief that applying for a Schengen visa through smaller countries such as Luxembourg or Malta guarantees quicker approval.   According to Monaz Billimoria, VFS Global’s UAE Regional Director, this assumption is incorrect — and, in many cases, leads directly to visa refusals. Billimoria stressed that Schengen visa processing is governed by the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009), which outlines a clear a

The European Union is preparing a new proposal to the United States aimed at advancing the next phase of the trade deal reached between the two sides earlier this summer, according to people familiar with the matter.   The plan, which has not yet been announced in the US, will center on five key areas, including the lowering of rates for additional products such as wines and spirits.   The initiative comes ahead of a meeting later this month between EU trade chief Maros Sefco

The European Commission has moved to further tighten visa procedures for Russian citizens, announcing the abolition of multiple-entry visas and the introduction of more rigorous checks across all EU member states.   The decision, which Brussels attributes to heightened security concerns linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the rise of “hybrid threats,” marks another escalation in the bloc’s response to Moscow’s continued aggression.   Executive Vice President Henna Virkun

As of October 23rd, 2025, Portugal has abruptly canceled all work-seeking visa appointments worldwide following the enactment of Law No. 61/2025, a sweeping reform that has transformed the country’s immigration landscape. Published in the Official Gazette on October 22nd, the law abolishes the popular job-seeking visa and replaces it with a new “highly skilled work-seeking visa” reserved for high-qualified professionals. However, the new visa category cannot yet be applied fo

Switzerland’s new system for processing Schengen short-stay visa applications in the United States is now fully operational, marking a...

The European Commission announced on Thursday that it will postpone the introduction of new global rules governing banks’ trading...

As Donald Trump’s trade policies rattled global markets earlier this year and dragged the dollar toward multi-year lows, European Central...

Hourly labour costs in the euro area climbed by 3.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier,...

The European Union is edging closer to tougher rules on Schengen visas for Russian citizens, with Brussels preparing new guidance under...

Europe is preparing to modernize its borders with a major digital upgrade. Beginning October 12, 2025, the European Commission will...

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced today that it will keep its three key interest rates unchanged, citing a broadly stable...

Europe has officially taken the mantle as the weakest smartphone market in the world, after shipments across the region—excluding...

European bank shares, which have surged more than 40 percent so far this year, are now entering a testing phase as renewed political...

Business confidence in Germany picked up in August, reaching its strongest level in 15 months, according to a survey released on Monday....