For the European Central Bank, success as the euro area’s financial supervisor may begin this weekend with a few failures.
At noon in Frankfurt on Oct. 26, investors will learn which of the currency bloc’s 130 biggest banks fell short in the ECB’s year-long examination of their asset strength and ability to withstand economic turbulence. After two previous stress tests run by the European Banking Authority didn’t reveal problems at lenders that later failed, the ECB has staked its reputation on getting this exercise right.
The two-part audit known as the Comprehensive Assessment forms one pillar of the ECB’s effort to move the euro zoneforward after half a decade of financial turmoil by disclosing the extent of the damage. Since the beginning, ECB President Mario Draghihas said banks need to fail to prove the losses of the past have been dealt with.