Eurozone crisis explained

  • Published
Spanish property unfinished
Image caption,

Spain experienced a massive property boom in the good years which has now turned sour

Worries are increasing that Spain may become the fourth eurozone country to require a full bailout.

It has already asked for help with its banks - its main problem - and will receive up to 100bn euros ($125bn; £80bn) to be targeted at its financial sector.

An audit has now revealed that its banks may need two-thirds of that amount to cover its bad property assets in a worst-case scenario.

But with the recession in the country deepening it is struggling to balance its books and further pressure is coming from its regional governments, who are starting to ask Madrid for financial help to deal with their own debt issues.

What went wrong with Spain?

What has happened at the regional government level?

Crisis jargon buster
Use the dropdown for easy-to-understand explanations of key financial terms:
AAA-rating
The best credit rating that can be given to a borrower's debts, indicating that the risk of borrowing defaulting is minuscule.

What is the problem with the banks?

What has been done to help troubled banks?

How will the bank bailout work?

Will the bank bailout be enough?