Digital payments are routine across Europe. But they don’t work equally for everyone. The #DigitalEuro could add another payment option alongside cash and existing services, making payments more accessible. 🔗 Read more in our blog: www.finance-watch.org/blog/the-dig...

The @ec.europa.eu is rewriting EU banking rules. 🏦💶 In a new Euractiv op-ed, Finance Watch reflects on Europe’s banking rules, why they were introduced, and the arguments defining reform now.

Europe’s ambitious sustainable finance legislation risks becoming a greenwashing loophole due to fragmented enforcement and a lack of oversight, undermining the green transition and misallocating capital, says @axelle-vw.bsky.social . 

Why is everyone suddenly talking about #PrivateCredit? 👀 Since 2008, the new model has exploded in size, but without the same rules, transparency, or safety buffers that banks have. A 🧵 on what’s actually inside these funds and why they pose a risk to the global financial system… 1/3

Conference: How should financial regulation evolve to support Europe’s strategic objectives? 🏛️ Book your seat now to hear from an exceptional line up of leading policymakers and experts. 🗓️ 10 June | Brussels 🔗 Registration: www.finance-watch.org/event/confer... #15yearsOfFinanceWatch

The EU needs its own digital cash to ensure Europeans remain in control of their financial future. That's why Finance Watch backs the #DigitalEuro! 💶 As @pnorwood.bsky.social states: "Cash is a public good. That is what the digital euro is meant to preserve in the digital age."

Much of finance today consists of non-bank financial institutions (or #NBFIs) constantly lending to each other & banks - but regulation hasn't caught up. That’s why we need: 🏦 Stronger EU supervision of NBFIs 🔍 Better tools for systemically important NBFIs 🌡️ System-wide stress tests to locate risk

In 2026, financial stability means looking at the whole system, not just the banks. 👀 Today, #NBFIs manage over half of global financial assets, yet regulation still focuses too narrowly on banks. If risk has moved, regulation needs to move with it! Read our new report:

📣 This #MayDay, protecting workers starts with *preventing* financial crises, not just responding to them. To ensure that financial regulation is the first line of defense for workers, Finance Watch is calling for safeguards like higher capital requirements, and limits on excessive risk-taking!

Non-bank financial institutions #NBFIs now manage over 51% of global financial assets, yet rules haven't kept up. ⏰ The assumption that risk can be redistributed to the non-bank sector & absorbed is false. Stress is transmitted through many connections with the wider system when confidence falters.

Most electronic payments today rely on private money. With key votes on the #DigitalEuro coming up in the European Parliament, a public alternative could change how everyday payments work. What’s at stake.👇

For 15 years, Finance Watch has worked to make finance serve society. As financial rules help shape protection from crises, fair and accessible services and whether finance supports the real economy, that mission matters more than ever 👉 www.finance-watch.org/about/

Decades after the #2008Crisis, the EU is moving into a new phase of banking reform. Yet with financial risks rising, weakening safeguards is the wrong kind of 'simplification'. Combined with @ecb.europa.eu findings, the case for cutting capital safeguards looks increasingly thin: bit.ly/4cC0Pe8 1/2

On #EarthDay, we are reminded of how fragile & valuable our planet is. It’s time to ensure enforceable sustainable finance rules with: 🌍 Stronger supervision across Europe 🌍 Clear, harmonised sanctions 🌍 Real consequences for misleading ‘green’ claims Read more 👉 bit.ly/41OJ30Q

After the financial crisis, bank rules were tightened so banks could absorb losses instead of passing them on to the public. Now, the debate is being turned on its head... A 🧵on where the EU is going wrong on the #CompetitivenessAgenda & our recommendations for a safer capital framework. 1/3

In a report by @carbontracker.bsky.social & @exeter.ac.uk more than 60 climate scientists say financial models don’t account for the economic shocks of climate change. Finance Watch calls for: 🌱 Stronger capital requirements for fossil fuel exposures 🌱 Qualitative scenarios aligned with science

What do financial rules have to do with everyday life Financial policy may seem technical, but it affects households, businesses and society as a whole. 📄 Our latest Annual Report explains why key debates in 2025 mattered in practice. 🔗Read the report 👉 www.finance-watch.org/blog/finance... 🧵1/7

💥 Yet another energy shock has hit Europe. From the 2021 gas squeeze to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and now the Iran war, the path ahead is familiar: higher inflation, tighter monetary policy, and more pressure on public finances. A 🧵 on how different choices could lead us out of this crisis. 1/3

💥 At the ECON committee yesterday, Andrew Bailey said success in financial stability is when “nothing happens”. In simple terms: when the financial system is stable, people stop noticing it. www.euractiv.com/news/economy...

Europe's fossil fuel dependence has become a critical vulnerability. As the @ecb.europa.eu puts it: "The real question is no longer whether Europe can afford to make the energy transition. It is whether it can afford not to." Europe’s resilience demands renewed ambition on #transition policies!

What shaped Finance Watch’s work in 2025, and why does it matter? Our 2025 Annual Report is now out. It looks back at a year marked by economic pressures, competitiveness and simplification in European financial policy debates. Read it here 👉 www.finance-watch.org/blog/finance...

Why is everyone suddenly talking about private credit? 🔍 To understand why investors are getting nervous, it helps to compare private credit with bank lending. www.wsj.com/economy/is-a...

Financial regulation matters for society and the real economy. Finance Watch recently met European Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, continuing the dialogue with a public-interest perspective on financial stability and reform. Learn more 👉 www.finance-watch.org/policy-portal

Post-2008 reform was supposed to make the system safer. So why are regulators now easing capital rules for the largest banks? Pia Malaney looks at the quiet return of too big to fail. www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives...

Plus de 60 climatologues alertent⚠️ La modélisation économique du climat sous-estime le risque climatique ce qui donne un prétexte à l’inaction et augmente le risque de crise financière climatique. Lire le billet👉 www.finance-watch.org/leblog/irrea... #ClimateSystemicRiskBuffer

Every day, digital platforms manipulate people and unfairly influence their choices online. Finance Watch, alongside @beuc.eu and a broad civil society coalition, is calling for stronger digital consumer protection in Europe via the #DigitalFairnessAct. Read more 👇

🚨 Is regulation really the reason behind Europe’s competitiveness challenges? Tomorrow, join our Secretary-General @ibuscke.bsky.social at the webinar hosted by @thegoodlobby.bsky.social and @fnlab.bsky.social to explore how we can tackle deregulation narratives! Register now 👉 bit.ly/4ru7oUa

Is March the boogeyman for financial stability? This month has an uncanny record: 🔹 March 2021 - Greensill Capital collapses 🔹 March 2021 - Archegos collapses 🔹 March 2023 - Credit Suisse collapses A 🧵 on the role of shadow banks and what these episodes have in common 1/6

📣 Our Secretary-General @ibuscke.bsky.social will join @thegoodlobby.bsky.social & @fnlab.bsky.social to unpack the EU’s 'simplification agenda', and how civil society can effectively push back.

🚢 Overly-sunny economic forecasts mislead the financial system into a climate financial storm🌪️ A new report by @carbontracker.bsky.social & @exeter.ac.uk warns models miss #GreenSwan shocks. Regulators must act now – before a #climateMinsky moment hits 👉 www.finance-watch.org/blog/mislead...

⚠️ #ECB fines French lender Crédit Agricole €7.55M for failing to address climate risks. That's good news! But now, supervisors must make sure that banks stop contributing to the overall buildup of climate systemic risk, before it's too late for an orderly transition. Read more 👇

When payment systems are weaponised as geopolitical leverage, the case for a #DigitalEuro becomes clearer by the day. The experience of French ICC judge Nicolas Guillou is shining a spotlight on why a publicly-backed European digital currency is fundamental for EU sovereignty. 1/2

🌍📉 Ignoring extreme weather and tipping points could make the climate crisis crash the global economy. Yet, current economic models continue to dangerously underestimate climate risk. We can’t bail out the Earth like we did banks! It’s time for models & policy that reflect reality.

🌍🔥 Economic models are failing to capture #ClimateRisk; yet governments are still using them to set policy. It is essential that policymakers include cascading climate impacts and tipping points in order to protect our economy and society from the worst impacts.

#GDPR protections are being diluted for AI. Europe is updating its digital rulebook with #Omnibus II. It’s meant to simplify and align rules for online platforms, AI, and digital finance. But in doing so, it threatens to weaken safeguards for your data, privacy, and financial rights.

Is advocacy exhausting and painstaking? For sure. Is protecting people from financial harm optional? No ❤️‍🔥 More about how we support citizens 👉 bit.ly/4k2vSS5

Thrilled to welcome our new Secretary General @ibuscke.bsky.social ! Looking ahead, she highlights Europe’s challenges stemming from an economic model prioritising profit over people & society and notes: "Europe faces a choice about the kind of financial system it wants." 1/2

1/ The 🇪🇺 Commission is taking a political chainsaw to hard won social, environmental, and digital protections. We need #RulestoProtect not #Deregulation. Check out our new cartoons below by @cartoonralph.bsky.social and spread the word!

🏛️ Finance Watch at the German Bundestag At a hearing on EU banking rules, Julia Symon heard the usual lobby claims. But this doesn't match the facts. Well-capitalised banks lend more 📊. No stability vs competitiveness trade-off. It’s profits vs resilience. #CRD #FinancialStability #EUFinance

#2025InReview 2025 brought major shifts in Europe’s financial regulations, raising questions about risk management and long-term resilience, fairness, and accountability. 🎥 Discover the topics that shaped Finance Watch’s research and public engagement. ▶️

📢 We’re hiring a Grants Administration Intern in Brussels! 🌍 Want to help finance serve society and the planet? Join Finance Watch and support our Operations & Projects team. 👉 Learn more & apply 💼: www.finance-watch.org/job/job-offe...

Bien dit @chrisaltereco.bsky.social : "Tout pointe une montée des risques, dans beaucoup de marchés, fortement interconnectés, et impliquant les banques, mais surtout ne demandons pas à ces dernières d’efforts supplémentaires pour nous protéger des folies de la finance" Lire aussi :

❄️ This holiday season, we’re sharing a glimpse of the future we’re working towards: a world where finance serves both society and the planet. From everyone at Finance Watch, thank you for standing with us on this mission. We wish you a peaceful end to the year and a 2026 full of hope!

“Non bank finance” sounds like it sits outside the banking system. It does not. Banks remain at the heart of today’s shadow banking system. 👇

Ever clicked “yes” online and later wondered why? You may have met a dark pattern, a manipulative design trick that hides fees, fakes urgency or pushes subscriptions. Dark patterns cost you money and compromise your privacy. 🔗 Learn how to protect yourself: www.finance-watch.org/blog/dark-pa...

@leevisaari.bsky.social from @ainowinstitute.bsky.social on the #AI bubble: "Open AI lost 10bn in the last quarter. Three big tech companies spent 350bn on AI last year, and our EU competitiveness fund is 450bn over the next 6 years. This is a bubble which is going to burst." #FinanceForSociety

Adriana Cuppuleri from @algorithmwatch.org addresses how AI influences credit scoring systems and the huge gap in agency regarding the technologies that have an effect on our lives: "Scoring is never just neutral, it is built on a political assessment." #AIAct #FinanceForSociety

🤖 AI is reshaping finance faster than regulation can keep up. Adriana Cuppuleri from @algorithmwatch.org, @leevisaari.bsky.social from @ainowinstitute.bsky.social and Christian M. Stiefmüller discuss how Big Tech is reshaping our financial system (and society). #FinanceForSociety

@annpettifor.bsky.social on the role of pension funds at the #FinanceForSociety Forum: "Pensions should be invested in the domestic economy to provide for domestic growth, employment and income, from which the future pensions can be paid."

@annpettifor.bsky.social on the coming future crisis due to debt accumulation and the bailout state: "The markets are operating in their stratosphere and beyond government oversight. Yet, unlike the crisis in the past, today the markets cannot and will not go bust..."