Press releases

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its annual Report on high earners in EU banks, which shows a significant increase in their number in 2015 (+33.04% compared to 2014). The Report contains data covering all staff of institutions in the EU and EU branches of third country institutions receiving a total remuneration of one million euro or above. The data is available in aggregate format at the EU level, for each Member State, and by payment bracket within each Member State. The EBA will publish this year the report on High Earners with data for the financial year 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) recalled today the key deadlines Competent Authorities should comply with for the submission of data needed to perform the 2017 supervisory benchmarking exercise. Despite the pending approval by the European Commission of the amended Implementing Technical Standard (ITS) on benchmarking, compliance with the proposed deadlines will ensure a smooth and timely start of the 2017 exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) updated today the list of closely correlated currencies that was originally published in December 2013 and updated in May 2015. The list is part of the implementing technical standards (ITS) that were drafted for the purposes of calculating the capital requirements for foreign-exchange risk according to the standardised rules. The list was updated according to the procedure and methodology laid down in the ITS.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on the inclusion of prudent valuation into COREP, the reporting framework through which EU banking institutions report supervisory information. The amendments proposed by the EBA reflect the prudent valuation requirements in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2016/101. This public consultation will run until 30 March 2016.

<p>The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published today their joint report on the functioning of the Capital Requirements Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR) with the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (EMIR). The report calls for the requirements for credit, market, and counterparty credit risk in the CRR to be clarified. This clarification should ensure that only risks not already covered by specific financial resources for activities not related to clearing are to be covered by CRR requirements. This exclusion should also be extended to activities covered by interoperability arrangements.</p>

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector by a set of Risk Indicators in Q3 2016. Together with the Risk Dashboard, the EBA published the results of a Risk Assessment Questionnaire, which was conducted among banks and market analysts between October and November this year.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have published their response to the European Commission on the amendments the Commission proposes to make to the draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) on key information documents (KIDs) for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPS).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Report on cyclicality of banks’ capital requirements aiming at clarifying whether risk-sensitive bank capital requirements as laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) create unintended pro-cyclical effects by reinforcing the endogenous relationships between the financial system and the real economy. This report, which has been drafted in close cooperation with the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and the European Central Bank (ECB) is in response to a request by the European Commission to understand whether CRDIV/CRR requirements exert significant effects on the economic cycle and, if so, whether any remedial measures are justified. In addition, this Report may inform the European Commission’s currently ongoing reviews of the EU micro- and macro-prudential frameworks and could serve as a valuable complementary contribution to the global discussions about the bank capital regulatory framework.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a data collection for commodity derivatives firms that will support the European Commission in the calibration of the new prudential regime for investment firms. This exercise follows up on the consultation the EBA launched on 4 November 2016 in response to the European Commission's call for technical advice on the design of a new prudential regime for investment firms, including the extent to which the new regime would also be suitable for or adaptable to specialised commodity derivatives firms.

In its meeting on 6 December 2016, the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority (EBA) decided to carry out its next EU-wide stress test in 2018, in line with its previous decision to aim for a biennial exercise. The EBA will start immediately to prepare the methodology for the 2018 stress test exercise, which will also include an assessment of the impact of IFRS 9, which will be implemented on 1 January 2018. This decision has been communicated to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. In 2017, the EBA will perform its regular annual transparency exercise.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its third impact assessment Report for the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), together with a review of its phasing-in period. The Report shows a constant improvement of the average LCR across EU banks since 2011. At the reporting date of 31 December 2015, EU banks’ average LCR was significantly above the 100% minimum requirement, which will have to be fully implemented by January 2018, and no strong evidence was found suggesting that the EBA should recommend an extension of the phasing-in period of the LCR. The Report, which is based on liquidity data from 194 EU banks across 17 Member States, is the first publication after the implementation of the minimum binding standards in 2015 and accounts for the provisions of the Commission’s Delegated Regulation on the LCR.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on the supervision of significant branches. Prompted by the increasing demand to establish branches across the European Union, these Guidelines are designed to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the Competent Authorities (CAs). They will assist them in supervising the largest systemically important branches, the so-called “significant-plus” branches, which require intensified supervision.

​​The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) has today published a ​Report on good supervisory practices for reducing sole and mechanistic reliance on credit ratings. The Report is directed at the nationally appointed Sectoral Competent Authorities (SCAs) for a wide range of financial institutions, such as credit institutions, investment firms, asset management companies and insurance undertakings.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Report including recommendations on how to harmonise covered bond framework in the EU. This Report represents an unparalleled attempt to further strengthen the covered bonds across the EU and seeks to ensure that only those financial instruments that comply with the harmonised structural, credit risk and prudential standards can be branded as ‘covered bonds’ and have access to special regulatory and capital treatment as provided in the current EU financial regulation.

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – ESAs) published today the revised Joint Guidelines on the prudential assessment of acquisitions and increases of qualifying holdings in the banking, insurance and securities sectors, replacing the previous Guidelines, adopted in 2008.