FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Reviving the securitised loan market is not a task for a central bank, European Central Bank policymaker Jens Weidmann said on Thursday.
The ECB has signalled its readiness to add more stimulus to the euro zone economy next month and one of the options on its shelf is a programme to buy asset-backed securities to boost lending, particularly to small and medium-sized companies (SME).
Weidmann, a hawkish member of the ECB's policymaking governing council, cautioned about the possible impact of such a step.
"It is clear to me that it is not an original central bank task to revive this market," Weidmann said in the text of a speech. "Hope possibly linked to a revival of the securitised loan market should, however, not be too strong."
He referred to the heterogeneous structure of the sector for SMEs and the fact that it is difficult and possibly expensive for investors to get sufficient information and keep control over their investments.
(Reporting by Eva Taylor; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)