The ECB is considering a targeted review of bank loans to data centres to assess
risks from AI‑related market sentiment and valuation swings, sources told
Bloomberg. Officials have floated the idea internally and with supervised banks
as rising rates and local opposition to data‑centre builds increase pressure on
a rapidly expanding lending segment, the sources said. The exercise could
include on‑site inspections focused on banks’ assessment of future cash flows,
collateral values and provisioning for potential defaults. One source said the
probe would be narrower than the ECB’s leveraged‑finance review several years
ago; the ECB has not decided the exact scope or format. Global regulators are
stepping up scrutiny of banks’ AI‑related exposures.
