2  BIS Review 172/2010    (Euro area debt problems) Despite the funding support from the EU and the IMF, the sovereign debt problems of certain EU member states are likely to act as a factor making for market unrest for a considerable time to come.
Interest rates on loans continued their downward trend, declining to 6.3 percent from 6.5 percent in the same period last year, which indicates a continuous facilitation of access to bank financing. Financial soundness indicators continued to show a high level of sustainability of this sector in all aspects.