Major banking groups declined to comment yesterday on a newswire report that European Union anti-trust regulators are set to slap heavy fines on them for alleged rigging of the EURIBOR market benchmark, a move that if confirmed will add to other rate-rigging scandals that have erupted around the world, including Asia.

Major banking groups declined to comment yesterday on a newswire report that European Union anti-trust regulators are set to slap heavy fines on them for alleged rigging of the EURIBOR market benchmark, a move that if confirmed will add to other rate-rigging scandals that have erupted around the world, including Asia.

A report by Reuters, quoting an unnamed source, said fines were due to be imposed on Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan. It also said that Credit Agricole, Societe Generale and HSBC will be hit with fines. Barclays, the report said, will not be fined.

Barclays declined to comment on the specifics of the story. It did, however, point to its recent report on financial results that included the following statement: “The European Commission has also been conducting investigations into the manipulation of, among other things, EURIBOR. Barclays is a party to the Commission’s EURIBOR investigation and continues to cooperate. The Commission has publicly stated that it hopes to be ready to adopt a decision in respect of its investigations towards the end of 2013.”