Germany's 10 biggest banks may need 105 billion euros ($141 billion) of additional capital under a revamp of banking rules designed to prevent future financial crises, the country's banking association said.
International banking regulators known as the Basel Committee will likely require banks to have a Tier 1 capital ratio of 6 percent, up from 4 percent, said the BdB banking association, whose members include lenders such as Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank.
Regulators are bumping up the amount of capital banks need to hold in an effort to ensure lenders have an array of loss-absorbing backstops that can be used in case of a downturn.
Buffers for capital conservation of an additional 2 percent and a countercyclical capital buffer of 2 percent more are also likely to be applied, the BdB said on Monday.
The Tier 1 ratio and each of the buffers probably would be composed of 80 percent of top quality or "core Tier 1" capital, which consists of equity capital and retained earnings, BdB said. Many leading banks already hold Tier 1 capital of 10 percent or more.