Plenty of challenges for local banks in 2018

The stress tests that will start shortly and reducing nonperforming loans are the main challenges Greek banks will face over the course of 2018.

Their performance on those two fronts will determine to a great extent whether they manage to avoid another recapitalization.

The new year also holds a number of other challenges for the local credit sectors, such as compliance with the new monitoring and accounting rules, tackling losses from bad loans, disengagement from emergency liquidity assistance, attracting more deposits, increasing loan issues and breaking free from the swamp of the capital controls.