ECB sets new 2027 capital requirements for Spanish banks

The European Central Bank (ECB) has issued updated prudential capital requirements for several Spanish financial institutions, effective January 1, 2027. These changes follow the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP) and are influenced by the Bank of Spain's decision to increase the countercyclical buffer from 0.5% to 1% in October.

CaixaBank and Unicaja face increased requirements due to this buffer hike. For CaixaBank, the minimum CET1 ratio must reach 9.47%, up from 9.12%, while the total capital ratio must rise to 13.74% from 13.38%. The bank's Pillar 2 requirement remains unchanged at 1.75%.

Banco Sabadell also faces higher requirements due to the countercyclical buffer, though it received a reduction in its Pillar 2 requirement. Sabadell's minimum CET1 ratio is set to increase to 9.24% from 8.85%, and its total capital ratio will rise to 13.61% from 13.27%.