European Central Bank

The International Monetary Fund is poised to release about 3.5 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in bailout funds to Greece in late May, an IMF spokesman said Thursday.

The IMF executive board, representing the global crisis lender's 188 member states, will meet on May 30 to discuss the disbursement, spokesman Gerry Rice said.

 Finance Ministry intends to offer incentives for return of undeclared incomes from accounts held abroad

By Prokopis Hatzinikolaou

The issue of repatriating capital derived from undeclared incomes is returning to the negotiating table, as the government intends to present a plan for the return to Greek banks of deposits held abroad to its creditor representatives in September.

David Goodman & Eshe Nelson

Bondholders in Europe just got a wakeup call.

The streamlining program of the Cypriot economy remains on course and recession projections for 2014 have been revised from 4.8 percent to 4.2 percent, according to a statement by the island’s international creditors which opens the way for the disbursement of the fourth bailout installment worth 686 million euros.

European Central Bank funding to Greek banks rose in April by 1.03 billion euros while emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) from the country’s central bank increased by 243 million euros, Bank of Greece data showed on Wednesday.

The European Central Bank has indicated that it is close to easing monetary policy in June, according to Executive Board member Yves Mersch.

ECB President Mario Draghi’s comment on May 8 that officials are “comfortable” with taking action next month is similar to the policy signals given by his predecessor, Jean- Claude Trichet, Mersch said at an event in Berlin.

By Stefan Riecher

The euro-area’s fastest economic growth in three years probably won’t be enough to stop Mario Draghi from easing monetary policy.

By Lucy Meakin and Neal Armstrong

The advance in euro-area government bonds that pushed the 10-year yields of Ireland, Italy and Spain to record lows today is about to end, according to investors from BlueBay Asset Management LLP to BlackRock Inc.

European government bonds fell as talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and a senior European official aimed at easing the crisis in Ukraine helped damp demand for safer assets.

BRUSSELS/BELGRADE - EU ministers of finance and economy and officials of the European Central Bank expressed their support to the efforts Serbia is investing in fiscal stabilisation and strengthening of economic growth, states the release issued by the Serbian Ministry of Finance.