Europe’s main banking regulator is trying to clear the path for mergers between the continent’s lenders as the belief grows that scale is the key to reviving the struggling sector, people familiar with the matter said.

The regulator — an arm of the European Central Bank that covers the largest eurozone banks — is making this softer stance toward potential tie-ups known privately, according to bankers, supervisors and analysts. Some of its officials have also publicly tackled the issue in recent speeches. It marks a departure for the regulator from its perceived stance of imposing prohibitively tough conditions on mergers.