1 Mar 2012

Central bank provides more loans to eurozone banks

1:42 pm on 1 March 2012

It is the second time the central bank has offered such three-year loans and comes after 530 banks borrowed €489 billion euros in December.

The loans are aimed at continuing to ease the eurozone debt crisis, and help banks improve their liquidity.

They are helping countries such as Italy, as some banks have used the bonds to buy government bonds, which is bringing down countries' lending costs.

Although the ECB has not revealed which banks have taken part, UK lender HSBC has confirmed to the BBC that it had borrowed about £350 million.

Lloyds Banking Group confirmed that it had drawn £11.4 billion.