It was "too early" to take any measures to mitigate the impact of negative rates on banks' profitability, saying a study must first be made, European Central bank chief Mario Draghi said Wednesday 

"Right now it's too early to decide" about whether to cushion the blow for banks, he said, adding that in its regular assessment the ECB would examine if some form of mitigation action were necessary.

He warned of risks weighing on growth in the eurozone, describing current economic indicators as "weak".

"The risks surrounding the euro area growth outlook remain tilted to the downside, on account of the persistence of uncertainties related to geopolitical factors, the threat of protectionism and vulnerabilities in emerging markets," said Draghi in Frankfurt.

ECB governors agreed Wednesday to hold key interest rates at historic lows, keeping a steady course just hours ahead of a crunch Brexit summit.

The Frankfurt institution left the rate on its main refinancing operations at zero, on its marginal lending facility at 0.25 per cent and on its deposit facility at -0.4 per cent.

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