Domestic banks lose ground in France's AFT debt agency rankings

By Maya Nikolaeva PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - French banks lost ground in the 2016 ranking of the most active financial institutions on primary and secondary government debt markets, according to public debt management agency Agence France Tresor (AFT). Banks in Europe have retreated from primary dealing in government bonds, saying regulatory constraints are adding to the costs involved. BNP Paribas held on to top place in 2016 but lost ground to HSBC and JP Morgan in the primary a