Officials were granted anonymity because the discussions are private.
Bruegel fellow Francesco Papadia, who was previously director-general for the ECB’s market operations, told POLITICO that such efforts are sensible and reflect an increasing willingness among European authorities to see the euro used more widely around the world.
What’s a liquidity line?
Central banks typically use two types of facilities to lend to each other: either by swapping one currency for another (swap lines) or by providing funds against collateral denominated in the lender’s currency (repo lines).
The ECB currently maintains standing, unlimited swap lines with the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Swiss National Bank, and the Bank of Japan, as well as standing but capped lines with the Danish and Swedish central banks. It also operates a facility with the People’s Bank of China, capped in both volume and duration.
Other central banks seeking euro liquidity must rely on repo lines known as EUREP, under which they can borrow limited amounts of euros for a limited period against high-quality euro-denominated collateral. At present, only Hungary, Romania, Albania, Andorra, San Marino, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo have such lines in place.
But these active lines have sat untouched since Jan. 2, 2024 — and even at the height of the Covid crisis, their use peaked at a mere €3.6 billion.