The Romanian Banking Association (ARB) wants the act of denigrating a bank to become a crime, according to representatives of the ARB Board. National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu and Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu are supporting this initiative, according to ARB President Radu Gratian Ghetea. He added that the matter would soon be discussed with the minister of Interior, too. "To denigrate a bank is more serious than to denigrate a pretzel factory, because banks are much more vulnerable to rumors," Ghetea told a press conference after the ARB meeting. "Rumors can even trigger a chain of collapses among commercial banks," he added, mentioning that ARB had not yet defined "denigration."On the same occasion, ARB announced the adoption of the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) system. Ghetea explained that SEPA "will be the area where there are no differences between domestic and cross-border payments in euro, so customers will be able to make and receive payments in euro within the EU as safely, rapidly and efficiently as within their own country by using a set of standardized tools for transfers, direct debit and card payments."
ARB: Denigrating A Bank Could Become A Crime
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English Section / 20 octombrie 2008