The European Commission has imposed a fine of €26.6 million on Rabobank. The penalty comes from the bank's involvement in a trading cartel of Euro-denominated bonds, an infringement shared with Deutsche Bank. However, Deutsche Bank escaped fines by disclosing the cartel's existence under the Commission's leniency program.
European Watchdog Levies Fine on Rabobank for Bond Trading Cartel
Investigations by the Commission revealed that between 2006 and 2016, traders from both banks engaged in the illicit exchange of sensitive information. This exchange directly influenced their trading and pricing strategies for Euro-denominated Supra-Sovereign, Sovereign, Sub-Sovereign/Agency (SSA), and government-guaranteed bonds within the European Economic Area (EEA).
The traders, located at Deutsche Bank's EUR SSA desk in Frankfurt and Rabobank's Investment Grade Bonds desk in London, utilized Bloomberg's various communication tools to coordinate prices, trading volumes, and strategies, including warnings about price levels.
Deutsche Bank's cooperation with the Commission's investigation was rewarded with full immunity, dodging a fine that could have reached nearly €156 million. In contrast, Rabobank's lack of such cooperation resulted in its multimillion-euro fine.
Commissioner Didier Reynders, responsible for competition policy, emphasized the necessity of "trustworthy and well-functioning bonds trading markets" for both national authorities and investors.
"Today we fine Rabobank for colluding with Deutsche Bank to distort competition when trading certain Euro-denominated bonds," Reynders stated. He also assured continued vigilance and commitment to preserving competition within financial markets, highlighting the EU's staunch stance against anti-competitive practices.
Rabobank Is Not the First Lender to Be Fined
The bond market plays a crucial role in global finance, with entities leveraging bonds for funding in international markets, trading them subsequently for investment or other financial purposes. The Commission's actions are backed by EU and EEA laws that stand against cartels and price collusion. The investigation, which began in May 2017 following a tip-off by Deutsche Bank, led to a Statement of Objections in December 2022, culminating in the current fines.
However, Rabobank is not the first bank to be fined for attempts to manipulate the European debt market. In 2019, Morgan Stanley faced a similar penalty imposed by the French regulator for manipulations dating back to 2015. A year later, it also accepted fine for the same misconduct in the US.
Two years ago, Nomura, UniCredit, and UBS had to pay a combined total of €371 million for their participation in a bond trading cartel where traders exchanged confidential information through chat rooms.
