German Banks Face Higher Capital Buffer Amid Low Profitability

Felix Hufeld, president of BaFin, pauses during a Bloomberg Television interview in Frankfurt.

Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
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German banks have long suffered from low profitability. A new capital buffer set to be adopted by regulators isn’t going to help.

A financial stability committee on Monday recommended an additional capital requirement for German banks as it seeks to force lenders to build up defenses before the next downturn.