Deutsche Bank is confronted daily with merger rumors. The reports differ starkly on whom is talking to whom.
Who is feeding reputable international media outlets? On Wednesday, «Bloomberg» reported that the European Central Bank and German regulator Bafin would like to see Deutsche Bank merge with a European heavyweight – and most decidedly not with German rival Commerzbank.
The report fueled a spike in Deutsche's shares: the stock rose more than 8 percent on the day. But on Thursday, the «Financial Times» (behind paywall) reported the exact opposite: Germany's finance department ordered Bafin to sketch out scenarios under which Deutsche Bank would combine with Commerzbank.
The British publication quoted source close to finance minister Olaf Scholz as «definitely» searching for options to merge domestically. A merger between Deutsche and Commerzbank would create Europe's third-largest bank after British-Asian HSBC and France's BNP Paribas, with a balance sheet of more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion).
