Christian Sewing, Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank, has acknowledged that a recession in Germany is inevitable, and urged leaders to accelerate its decoupling from China.
Denis Balibouse | ReutersDeutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing on Thursday said that merger and acquisition activity is not a priority for his group, as speculation resurfaces over the future of domestic rival Commerzbank .
The state still has a 15% stake in Commerzbank, but Reuters reported earlier this week that Finance Minister Christian Lindner is open to disposing of it.
The merger of Germany's two biggest banks would create a combined entity with around $2 trillion in assets, although Deutsche Bank's low valuation could complicate any such move.
The bank trades at around 12 euros per share, a fraction of its book value, and a significant portion of assets would need to be marked down.
Persons:
Denis Balibouse, Christian Lindner
Organizations:
Deutsche Bank, Reuters Deutsche Bank CEO, Commerzbank, Reuters, Deutsche, CNBC, Economic
Locations:
Germany, China, Commerzbank, Davos, Switzerland, Europe