Article 1

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Investment Firms Regulation (IFR) > PART ONE > TITLE I > Article 1
Title:
Article 1
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Subject matter and scope
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1.   This Regulation lays down uniform prudential requirements which apply to investment firms authorised and supervised under Directive 2014/65/EU and supervised for compliance with prudential requirements under Directive (EU) 2019/2034 in relation to the following:

(a)

own funds requirements relating to quantifiable, uniform and standardised elements of risk‐to‐firm, risk‐to‐client and risk‐to‐market;

(b)

requirements limiting concentration risk;

(c)

liquidity requirements relating to quantifiable, uniform and standardised elements of liquidity risk;

(d)

reporting requirements related to points (a), (b) and (c);

(e)

public disclosure requirements.

2.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1, an investment firm authorised and supervised under Directive 2014/65/EU, which carries out any of the activities referred to in points (3) and (6) of Section A of Annex I to Directive 2014/65/EU, shall apply the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 where the undertaking is not a commodity and emission allowance dealer, a collective investment undertaking or an insurance undertaking, and any of the following conditions apply:

(a)

the total value of the consolidated assets of the investment firm is equal to or exceeds EUR 15 billion, calculated as an average of the previous 12 months excluding the value of the individual assets of any subsidiaries established outside the Union that carry out any of the activities referred to in this subparagraph;

(b)

the total value of the consolidated assets of the investment firm is less than EUR 15 billion, and the investment firm is part of a group in which the total value of the consolidated assets of all undertakings in the group that individually have total assets of less than EUR 15 billion and that carry out any of the activities referred to in points (3) and (6) of Section A of Annex I to Directive 2014/65/EU is equal to or exceeds EUR 15 billion, all calculated as an average of the previous 12 months, excluding the value of the individual assets of any subsidiaries established outside the Union that carry out either of the activities referred to in this subparagraph; or

(c)

the investment firm is subject to a decision by the competent authority in accordance with Article 5 of Directive (EU) 2019/2034.

Investment firms referred to in this paragraph shall be supervised for compliance with prudential requirements under Titles VII and VIII of Directive 2013/36/EU, including for the purposes of the determination of the consolidating supervisor where such investment firms belong to an investment firm group as defined in point (25) of Article 4(1) of this Regulation.

3.   The derogation provided for in paragraph 2 does not apply where an investment firm no longer meets any of the thresholds set out in that paragraph, calculated over a period of 12 consecutive months, or where a competent authority so decides in accordance with Article 5 of Directive (EU) 2019/2034. The investment firm shall notify the competent authority without undue delay any breach of a threshold during that period.

4.   Investment firms that meet the conditions set out in paragraph 2 shall remain subject to the requirements of Articles 55 and 59.

5.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1, competent authorities may allow an investment firm authorised and supervised under Directive 2014/65/EU that carries out any of the activities referred to in points (3) and (6) of Section A of Annex I to Directive 2014/65/EU to apply the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 where all of the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a)

the investment firm is a subsidiary and is included in the supervision on a consolidated basis of a credit institution, a financial holding company or a mixed financial holding company, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title II of Part One of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;

(b)

the investment firm notifies the competent authority under this Regulation and the consolidating supervisor, if applicable;

(c)

the competent authority is satisfied that the application of the own funds requirements of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 on an individual basis to the investment firm and on a consolidated basis to the group, as applicable, is prudentially sound, does not result in a reduction of the own funds requirements of the investment firm under this Regulation, and is not undertaken for the purposes of regulatory arbitrage.

Competent authorities shall inform the investment firm of a decision to allow the application of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and Directive 2013/36/EU pursuant to the first subparagraph within two months from the receipt of a notification referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph, and shall inform EBA thereof. Where a competent authority refuses to allow the application of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and Directive 2013/36/EU, it shall provide full reasons.

Investment firms referred to in this paragraph shall be supervised for compliance with prudential requirements under Titles VII and VIII of Directive 2013/36/EU, including for the purposes of the determination of the consolidating supervisor where such investment firms belong to an investment firm group as defined in point (25) of Article 4(1) of this Regulation.

For the purposes of this paragraph, Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 shall not apply.


(1)  OJ C 378, 19.10.2018, p. 5.

(2)  OJ C 262, 25.7.2018, p. 35.

(3)  Position of the European Parliament of 16 April 2019 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 8 November 2019.

(4)  Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 1).

(5)  Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (OJ L 176, 27.6.2013, p. 338).

(6)  Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).

(7)  Directive (EU) 2019/2034 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on the prudential supervision of investment firms and amending Directives 2002/87/EC, 2009/65/EC, 2011/61/EU, 2013/36/EU, 2014/59/EU and 2014/65/EU (see page 64 of this Official Journal).

(8)  Regulation (EU) 2019/876 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards the leverage ratio, the net stable funding ratio, requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities, counterparty credit risk, market risk, exposures to central counterparties, exposures to collective investment undertakings, large exposures, reporting and disclosure requirements, and Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 150, 7.6.2019, p. 1).

(9)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/61 of 10 October 2014 to supplement Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council with regard to liquidity coverage requirement for Credit Institutions (OJ L 11, 17.1.2015, p. 1).

(10)  Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/78/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 12).

(11)  Regulation (EU) 2019/630 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 as regards minimum loss coverage for non-performing exposures (OJ L 111, 25.4.2019, p. 4).

(12)  Directive (EU) 2019/878 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 amending Directive 2013/36/EU as regards exempted entities, financial holding companies, mixed financial holding companies, remuneration, supervisory measures and powers and capital conservation measures (OJ L 150, 7.6.2019, p. 253).

(13)  Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 84).

(14)  Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Securities and Markets Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/77/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 84).

(15)  Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Directive 2006/70/EC (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73).

(16)  OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1.

(17)  Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, p. 1).

(18)  Directive (EU) 2015/2366 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on payment services in the internal market, amending Directives 2002/65/EC, 2009/110/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010, and repealing Directive 2007/64/EC (OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 35).

(19)  Directive 2009/138/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the taking-up and pursuit of the business of Insurance and Reinsurance (Solvency II) (OJ L 335, 17.12.2009, p. 1).

(20)  Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings, amending Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC (OJ L 182, 29.6.2013, p. 19).

(21)  Regulation (EU) 2015/2365 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on transparency of securities financing transactions and of reuse and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 1).

(22)  Directive 2002/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the supplementary supervision of credit institutions, insurance undertakings and investment firms in a financial conglomerate and amending Council Directives 73/239/EEC, 79/267/EEC, 92/49/EEC, 92/96/EEC, 93/6/EEC and 93/22/EEC, and Directives 98/78/EC and 2000/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 35, 11.2.2003, p. 1).

(23)  Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 of 7 April 2016 supplementing Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to safeguarding of financial instruments and funds belonging to clients, product governance obligations and the rules applicable to the provision or reception of fees, commissions or any monetary or non‐monetary benefits (OJ L 87, 31.3.2017, p. 500).

(24)  Council Directive 86/635/EEC of 8 December 1986 on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions (OJ L 372, 31.12.1986, p. 1).

(25)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/578 of 13 June 2016 supplementing Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on markets in financial instruments with regard to regulatory technical standards specifying the requirements on market making agreements and schemes (OJ L 87, 31.3.2017, p. 183).

(26)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/567 of 18 May 2016 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to definitions, transparency, portfolio compression and supervisory measures on product intervention and positions (OJ L 87, 31.3.2017, p. 90).

(27)  Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1).

(28)  Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2014 establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (OJ L 225, 30.7.2014, p. 1).