Deutsche Bank CEO believes merger with Commerzbank will improve funding: Source

Christian Sewing, the chief executive of Deutsche Bank, believes there is a strong case for a merger with rival Commerzbank, according to a person with direct knowledge of his thinking ahead of Thursday's meeting of the supervisory board, setting the stage for a showdown with unions fearing massive job cuts. Sewing sees multiple benefits of a merger, including "clear" dominance in its home market, scale, and shared technology costs, the person said.

Deutsche's CEO also believes that a combined entity would improve the cost of funding, with "the best funding ever", the person said. Jobs would be cut with or without a merger, the person said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bank declined to comment.