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In
the letter dated Tuesday, the ECB asked banks to establish
adequate measures for infection control in the workplace and
ensure that they are ready for large-scale remote working of
staff if needed.
The COVID-19 virus has killed more than 3,000 people and
infected tens of thousands more, mostly in China. It has now
spread to more than 60 other countries.
The ECB, which declined to comment, held a telephone conference
on Tuesday to discuss its emergency response to the outbreak,
but policy action was not on the agenda, five sources told
Reuters.
The letter also told banks to proactively assess and test
capacity of existing IT infrastructure in light of a potential
increase in cyber-attacks and higher reliance on remote banking
services.
On Wednesday the ECB's executive board announced a range of
operational measures to protect its own staff from risks
associated with the spread of the coronavirus.
Spain's BBVA <BBVA.MC> decided on Thursday to transfer up to 100
staff from its Madrid trading floor to a location just outside
the city as part of its contingency plan to protect operations
from potential coronavirus-related disruption.
Other Spanish banks, such as state-owned Bankia <BKIA.MC>, are
also considering taking similar measures as required by the ECB,
a source with knowledge of the matter said.
(Reporting By Jesús Aguado; Additional reporting by Balazs
Koranyi; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Jan Harvey)
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