1353 GMT - European bank shares rise as positive sentiment builds around how artificial intelligence will benefit the sector, alongside a favorable regulatory outlook. Italian and Spanish lenders climb the most, with Bankinter and Banco de Sabadell rising 2.5% and 2.25% in Spain, respectively. Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Banco BPM lead that country's risers--gaining 2.7% and 2.4%. U.K. banks are uniformly up, too, with Barclays gaining 2%, while French-listed BNP Paribas and Societe Generale climb 1.2% and 1%, respectively. European banks remain inexpensive and have potential for higher-than-expected earnings, Citi analysts write. The Euro Stoxx Banks index is up 75% year to date. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 15, 2025 08:53 ET (13:53 GMT)

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