ECB gives Cyprus until Monday
BIG NEWS: The European Central Bank has announced that it has agreed to continue supplying emergency funding to Cyprus's banks until next Monday.
But if the bailout hasn't been agreed by then, the ECB would step away. It's quite an ultimatum.
Here's the statement:
The Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided to maintain the current level of Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) until Monday, 25 March 2013
Thereafter, Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) could only be considered if an EU/IMF programme is in place that would ensure the solvency of the concerned banks.
That sets Nicosia a clear deadline -- find €6bn by next week, in a way that satisfies the IMF and the European Union, or your banks collapse.

I suppose the threat of the banks all going tits up and consequently losing all your dosh makes the idea of a 6/10% "haircut" look almost appealing . . .
Still, on the bright side, at least it gets you out of the €uro . . . . 
Theoretically, we are covered by the bank guarantee scheme if the banks go tits...
Agreed.
Problem is: where's the guarantee cash going to come from?
Still think you need to brush up on your Russki speak . . .
Key event
If the ECB does pull the plug then there could be turmoil in Cyprus next Tuesday, when the banks were scheduled to finally reopen.
And the deposit guarantee scheme which is meant to protect depositors in the event of a bank collapse could quickly be proved worthless.
As Frances Coppola (a former banker) has blogged about here, deposit guarantee schemes are only as good as the national government who stands behind them. And Cyprus does not appear to have the assets to hand to cover the deposits in its banking sector:
So, Coppola explains:
It is time that depositors were told the truth. The lack of a common deposit insurance scheme in the Eurozone means that deposit insurance is a luxury available only to those countries that can afford it - which are also the countries that least need it. Everywhere else, it is a sham.
Potentially awful news for Cypriots, as well as thousands of ex-pats from the UK and beyond.
