2016-04-21cnbc.com

Economists and analysts have been swooning over a new series of ultra-cheap, ultra-long bank loans announced by the European Central Bank (ECB) last month, which they believe might just kickstart the region's fragile economy.

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These targeted long-term refinancing operations, or TLTRO IIs, advance on a previous model announced by the central bank in 2011 and effectively give free money to the banks to lend to the real economy.

They're a series of four loans - conducted between June 2016 and March 2017 - and will have a fixed maturity of four years. The interest rate will start at nothing, but could become as low as the current deposit rate, which is currently -0.40 percent, if banks meet their loan targets. This means the banks will be receiving cash for borrowing from the central bank.



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