Banks from the European Union to Britain, Finland and New Zealand have halted dividend payments as regional authorities have asked them to stop payouts amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

In Switzerland, financial supervisor FINMA has urged banks be prudent with their dividends, but has not banned payouts outright. Any new capital relief to promote lending during the coronavirus crisis would be cut for any new dividend payments approved after March 25, it said on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi)