Article 43

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Investment Firms Regulation (IFR) > PART FIVE > Article 43
Title:
Article 43
Description: 
Liquidity requirement
Main content: 

1.   Investment firms shall hold an amount of liquid assets equivalent to at least one third of the fixed overhead requirement calculated in accordance with Article 13(1).

By way of derogation from the first subparagraph of this paragraph, competent authorities may exempt investment firms that meet the conditions for qualifying as small and non‐interconnected investment firms set out in Article 12(1) from the application of the first subparagraph of this paragraph and shall duly inform EBA thereof.

For the purposes of the first subparagraph, liquid assets shall be any of the following, without limitation to their composition:

(a)

the assets referred to in Articles 10 to 13 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/61, subject to the same conditions regarding eligibility criteria and the same applicable haircuts as those laid down in those Articles;

(b)

the assets referred to in Article 15 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/61, up to an absolute amount of EUR 50 million or the equivalent amount in domestic currency, subject to the same conditions regarding eligibility criteria, with the exception of the EUR 500 million threshold amount referred to in Article 15(1) of that Regulation, and the same applicable haircuts as those laid down in in that Article;

(c)

financial instruments not covered by points (a) and (b) of this subparagraph, traded on a trading venue for which there is a liquid market as defined in point (17) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 and in Articles 1 to 5 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/567 (26), subject to a haircut of 55 %;

(d)

unencumbered short‐term deposits at a credit institution.

2.   Cash, short term deposits and financial instruments belonging to clients, even where held in the own name of the investment firm, shall not be treated as liquid assets for the purposes of paragraph 1.

3.   For the purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, investment firms that meet the conditions for qualifying as small and non‐interconnected investment firms set out in Article 12(1) of this Regulation and investment firms that do not meet the conditions for qualifying as small and non‐interconnected investment firms set out in Article 12(1) of this Regulation but which do not carry out any of the activities referred to in points (3) and (6) of Section A of Annex I to Directive 2014/65/EU may also include receivables from trade debtors as well as fees or commissions receivable within 30 days in their liquid assets, where those receivables comply with the following conditions:

(a)

they account for up to a maximum of one third of the minimum liquidity requirements as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article;

(b)

they are not to be counted towards any additional liquidity requirements required by the competent authority for firm‐specific risks in accordance with point (k) of Article 39(2) of Directive (EU) 2019/2034;

(c)

they are subject to a haircut of 50 %.

4.   For the purposes of the second subparagraph of paragraph 1, EBA, in consultation with ESMA, shall issue guidelines specifying further the criteria which the competent authorities may take into account when exempting investment firms that meet the conditions for qualifying as small and non‐interconnected investment firms set out in Article 12(1) from the liquidity requirement.


(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).