Societe Generale

Bulgaria's projected deal to issue euro bonds is expected to price on 19 March, Reuters has reported.

The country "is taking indications of interest" from investors "for three potential euro bonds" with maturities of seven, twelve and twenty years, the newswire quoted an unnamed source as saying.

Greek lenders Bank of Piraeus and Eurobank will drop out of the pan-European STOXX 600 benchmark, index compiler STOXX said, potentially depriving them of investment flows at a rocky time for Greek's economic future.

Despite a recent rebound, shares in the two banks are down around 65 percent since February 2014, hurt by worries over Greece's debt pile.

Bulgaria's Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov has insisted that the new borrowing of up to BGN 16 B is inevitable.

Protests organized by the Bulgarian opposition are expected as lawmakers are beginning their session of a government proposal to take on fresh foreign borrowing worth BGN 16 M, or EUR 8 B.

Menda Stoyanova, Chair of the parliamentary budget committee, has suggested that there is no cause for concern over the medium-term bond program by 2017 worth BGN 16 B, stressing that it is a financing program using external debt.

Bulgaria's ruling party GERB and opposition party the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) have locked horns over a proposal for new borrowing of EUR 8 B by 2017.

Citigroup, HSBC, Societe Generale and Unicredit have been selected by Bulgaria's government to manage its global medium-term bond programme worth EUR 8 B, according to a new draft bill now before Parliament.

German banks have around 23.5 billion euros ($28 billion) in credit exposure to Greece, but the systemic risk is limited as the biggest commercial banks, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, hold only a tiny fraction of that, according to figures gathered by Reuters.

Lawmakers have given the thumbs up on a six-month bridge loan worth BGN 3 B (EUR 1.5 B).

The country has picked Citibank NA (London), HSBC Bank PLC, and local units of Societe Generale and UniCredit to provide the sum.

Under the agreement signed October 8, Bulgaria is granted a bridge loan of EUR 1.5 B to be paid off with government securities in 2015.

Two Bulgarian and two local banks have been chosen to provide a bridge loan worth EUR 1.3 B, two sources have told Reuters.

The country has picked Citi, HSBC and local units of Societe Generale and Unicredit, the sources, reportedly familiar with the process, are quoted as saying on the condition of anonymity.