Seat of the European Central Bank Seat of the European Central Bank The seat of the European Central Bank (ECB) is in Ostend (East End), Frankfurt. The premises include the former Wholesale Market Hall ("Großmarkthalle"), a new 185/165 m twin-skyscraper and a new low-rise building to connect the two. East of the city centre, it houses the new headquarters for the European Central Bank (ECB). It was completed in 2014 and was officially opened on 18 March 2015. The ECB is required by the Treaties of the European Union to have its seat within the city limits of Frankfurt, the largest financial centre in the Eurozone.
European Central Bank ECB has shareholders and stock capital. Its capital is €11 billion held by the national central banks of the member states as shareholders. The initial capital allocation key was determined in 1998 on the basis of the states' population and GDP, but the capital key has been adjusted. Shares in the ECB are not transferable and cannot be used as collateral. The European Central Bank is the "de facto" successor of the European Monetary Institute (EMI). The EMI was established at the start of the second stage of the EU's Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) to handle the transitional issues