‘Italy finances not threatened by ECB rate hikes’

Broadly manageable: Customers at an Intesa Sanpaolo SpA bank branch in Milan. While, in general, banks’ traditional businesses are benefiting from rising interest rates, risks of higher provisions for bad loans are increasing, — Bloomberg

MILAN: Increased borrowing costs at the European Central Bank (ECB) so far aren’t interfering with Italy’s ability to keep financing its debt load, according to governor Ignazio Visco.

“At present, the hikes in key interest rates are broadly manageable for Italy’s public finances,” the central bank chief said in Milan on Saturday.