The European Central Bank said Saturday its governing council would meet imminently as Greece appears increasingly to be heading towards a default.

"The Governing Council of the ECB will hold a meeting in due course to discuss the situation. The ECB is closely monitoring developments," an ECB statement said.

A source told AFP that the meeting would most likely take place on Sunday and could take the form of a teleconference.

The Governing Council, which brings together the six members of the Executive Board and 19 central bank governors of the eurozone countries, can take decisions to keep Greek banks afloat through emergency loans.