FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Euro zone banks need to get into the habit of tapping the European Central Banks for cash, preparing for the continued decline in excess liquidity in the banking system, two top ECB officials said in a blog post on Tuesday.
Banks still sit on almost 3 trillion euros of excess liquidity, created by the ECB over the past decade, and borrowing has been virtually non existent via the ECB’s regular weekly and daily operations.
But the ECB is now reducing this excess liquidity by shrinking its balance sheet and policymakers fear there is now stigma attached to borrowing from the central bank, requiring attitude changes.
"Banks need to ensure that they are operationally ready for the change in how central bank reserves are provided," the ECB said in a post by board member Isabel Schnabel and supervisory chief Claudia Buch.
"In the new normal, standard refinancing operations are seen as a routine and integral component of banks’ day-to-day liquidity management," they said. "It is essential that (banks)adjust their liquidity management practices and are ready to access monetary policy operations."
The issue still lacks urgency, however, since the ECB has put off the review of its operational framework until 2026, indicating that liquidity is not seen as an issue this year.
The ECB is allowing about 500 billion euros of bonds to expire this year, meaning that excess liquidity will still be over 2 trillion euros at the end of 2025.
Still, the ECB wants banks to start changing their behaviour now, prepare their IT infrastructure and make sure there are qualified staff trained to identify and mobilise collateral.
"They need to be prepared to operate in an environment of less ample excess liquidity and be ready to source central bank reserves in a swift and scalable manner from a broad range of sources, both from the central bank as well as in money markets," Buch and Schnabel said.