Italy's No.2 bank late on Thursday said it would discuss with the country's Treasury a possible acquisition of ailing state-owned rival Monte dei Paschi di Siena
Financial markets were volatile earlier in the week as sentiment over the global economic outlook swung with each new Delta headline, although the prevailing mood was improving by late Friday.
The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose the most since Jan. 9, while the number of people with COVID-19 in French intensive care units set a high for 2021.
The ECB bought 11.9 billion euros worth of bonds under its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) in the five days to March 5, slightly less than in the previous week.
An ECB spokesman said the net purchases were affected by "seasonality factors", particularly large redemptions, which "temporarily delayed" an increase in the ECB's bond pile.