Transparency and disclosure are very important but we believed it was not sufficient. We have thus been working closely with the Vice-President on strengthening our banks’ solvency. A result of this has been the recently approved Royal Decree-Law, which we believe is a definitive step and a crucial quantitative and qualitative leap forward in restoring market confidence in Spanish banks. The aims of the new Royal Decree-Law are very clear. The first is to reinforce the solvency of all our banks, requiring them a level of core capital of 8% and because the doubts of investors over a small group of unlisted banks with some need to resort to the wholesale market, we are demanding of such banks 10% of core capital. We publicly announced yesterday which banks need capital to reach the 8–10% level, and how much capital they need. We have given them fifteen days to submit a recapitalisation plan. Those intending to tap the markets will have until end-September to attain the new level of capital. But we have made it very clear that if a bank believes it will be impossible to reach these solvency levels, it can apply to the FROB for these funds. The capital shortfall is for a maximum of € million, whereby the impact on public debt if the FROB has to be used would be relatively limited.
Recently, in fact, we have seen how our sovereign spread has been converging more towards the core euro area countries, distancing itself from those economies with bigger challenges outstanding. Our firm commitment to transparency, to the rigorous valuation of assets through a clear provisioning system and our significant increase in capital requirements should contribute to fully dispelling doubts about the current situation of Spanish banks and their medium-term prospects. Thank you for your patience. I am at your entire disposal to respond to your questions. BIS central bankers’ speeches  5