Assets increased by more than € billion to € billion. The portfolio of securities held for monetary policy purposes rose from € billion to € billion. Lending to banks grew by € billion.
BANCA D’ITALIA  The Governor’s Concluding Remarks Annual Report 2016  3  As I recalled on 31 March in my report to the Ordinary Meeting of Shareholders, in which I also dealt with the capital reallocation process, the expansion of the balance sheet has not only increased profitability but also heightened risks; these have been addressed by the introduction of capital safeguards.