Vítor Constâncio, the European Central Bank (ECB) vice-president, reiterated his call for a centralised deposit insurance scheme in the eurozone today, which he believes is necessary to create a "level playing field".

Constâncio told an audience at the National Bank of Austria that such a scheme would ensure decisions taken on a centralised basis would affect depositors equally – regardless of their location, or the location of their bank.

"The establishment of a common deposit insurance scheme