Stournaras says Greek banks have among highest capital ratios in eurozone

Greek lenders are well capitalized and maintain buffers that could absorb additional credit losses, Bank of Greece governor Yannis Stournaras said on Friday at a conference organized by the central bank to mark its 90th anniversary.

"Following three rounds of recapitalization, Greek banks now have among the highest capital ratios of banks in the euro area and maintain buffers sufficient to absorb additional credit losses, as the recently completed pan-European stress test indicated," he told participants.

"They have also markedly improved their liquidity position, reducing their reliance on central bank funding, regaining access to the interbank market and issuing covered bonds. Concurrently, customer deposits have been gradually increasing," he added.

However, the ratio of non-performing exposures (NPEs) to total exposures remains quite elevated and...