KBC Bank joins Euribor setting panel

The European benchmark provider on Wednesday said KBC Bank is expected to start contributing input data to Euribor on June 1, 2026.

Jean-Louis Schirmann, chief executive of EMMI, said: “This development takes place as part of the regular evolution of the Euribor panel, reflecting the underlying market activity. Panel composition naturally evolves over time, supporting the continued robustness and representativeness of the benchmark.”

Speaking at the Eurex Derivatives Forum in March 2025, an expert panel suggested that Europe’s fixed income market is likely to use interest rates based on two methodologies—Euribor and Euro short-term rate (ESTR) for the foreseeable future.

Euribor (Euro interbank offered rate) is the interest rate at which a prime bank (top international bank) is willing to lend funds in euro to another prime bank, according to the European Commission. The Euribor panel provides daily interest-rate quotes based on rate estimates provided by top banks in the committee.

“KBC Bank contributes to the continued evolution of the panel’s representativeness. Recent methodological refinements have introduced more clearly defined conditions for contributions, reducing the operational burden on panel banks,” EMMI said.

“We are pleased to be included in the Euribor panel. As a bank-insurer with a strong presence in the euro zone, most notably in Belgium, Bulgaria and the Slovak Republic, we value the role of Euribor in well-functioning financial markets and consider it important to contribute to it,” said Rik Janssen, group treasurer, KBC Group.

The benchmark provider said Euribor continues to operate smoothly, under a well-established framework designed to ensure stability, continuity, and resilience over time.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) started clearing in December 2025 its main Euro interest rate (STIR) futures contracts through its European arm to mitigate the effect of European regulation.

The introduction of mandatory clearing rules for ESTR futures led to an uptick in activity at Eurex as the Frankfurt-based venue seeks to challenge the dominance of Intercontinental Exchange's London-based exchange, the trading venue said in September 2025.