Spain on Friday threatened to block the latest bailout disbursement to Greece, angry that Athens failed to drop a legal case against European experts who had worked on the Greek privatization programme.
Spanish lawmakers overwhelming approved Greece's third bailout package on Tuesday following a debate in parliament which the ruling party used to defend its economic record ahead of a year-end general election.
Eurozone finance ministers approved on Friday a third bailout worth up to €86 billion to keep Greece in the single currency in return for an unprecedented package of reforms that Athens had previously rejected.
Greece on Sunday faced a final EU summit to clinch a deal that would stop Athens crashing out of the euro after divided eurozone ministers halted "very difficult" talks on a new bailout overnight.
Spain plans to pay back €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion) in bailout loans it received in 2012 from the European Union to bolster its ailing banks, the economy ministry said on Wednesday.
EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday there was no "diabolical plan" by Spain and Portugal to topple Greece's new hard-left government after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused the countries of undermining debt talks with Brussels.
Spain's economy minister on Wednesday again raised the prospect of Greece heading for a third bailout, as it is unlikely to regain access to capital markets before its current programme expires in June.
Bailed-out Spanish financial giant Bankia misrepresented its accounts ahead of its doomed 2011 stock listing which coincided with suspect buying and selling of its shares, central bank experts claimed on Thursday.
Dubious lending by regional Spanish savings banks in the boom years before the collapse of a property bubble in 2008 generated huge losses in the billions of euros, Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said on Tuesday.
Scandal-hit Bankia on Friday announced improved earnings on the back of reduced bad debt ratios, news that comes in the midst of allegations top executives at the institution used 'secret' cards to make lavish personal purposes.
Spain announced on Friday it will make a confidence-boosting early start to repaying a €41-billion ($56 billion) banking rescue loan from the eurozone.
Spanish banks on Tuesday reported record-high bad loans in December as lenders continued to pay for the country's real estate bust even as the financial sector prepared to exit a €41-billion ($56 billion) bailout.
The eurozone aid programme for struggling Spanish banks closed as scheduled on Tuesday after providing some €41 billion ($55 billion) to get them through the debt crisis, a statement said.
Spanish banks' bad loans hit the highest level for 50 years in October, data showed on Wednesday, despite the sector getting good marks from creditors as it exits its bailout programme.
International creditors who rescued Spain's tottering banks said on Monday the sector was on the way to recovery but warned Madrid to be vigilant as the bailout winds up.
Ratings agency Moody's raised its rating outlook for Spain to "stable" from "negative" Wednesday, citing signs of real improvement in the economy and government finances.
Spain's ex-prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero three times turned down offers of a bailout for his country at the height of the euro zone debt crisis, he says in a new book unveiled on Tuesday.
International credit rating agency Moody's warned on Thursday that Spain's banks still face significant challenges despite nearly completing a €41-billion ($55 billion) eurozone-financed bailout.
Spain decided Thursday to follow Ireland's lead and exit its bank bailout without seeking a precautionary credit line in reserve, eurozone finance ministers said.
European Union officials hailed the strengthening of Spain's banking sector on Wednesday after they swooped to rescue it last year saying Spanish lenders need no more bailout funds for the time being.
The European bailout of Cyprus last month has left some foreigners in Spain nervous about the safety of their own savings. The Local asks if moving capital offshore is really the answer.
