Catalonia's leader has called for dialogue with Spain and a meeting with the country's prime minister, complying with a Monday deadline to respond to a request from the central government to state explicitly whether he had declared independence.

Spain will compete with countries including Austria to host the European Banking Authority (EBA) as the UK’s decision to depart from the EU forces it to seek a new home.

The European Commission has asked Spain to delay by another week the plans to create a "bad bank", a fund which would pool much of its financial sector's soured property investments, so that experts in Brussels can review the project, the government in Madrid said.

Spain could decide within days or weeks to ask for a bailout for its troubled banking sector, making it the fourth eurozone country to seek help since the EU debt crisis erupted.

Spain has indicated it could decide this month whether to request a bailout for its troubled banking sector.