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The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) published today a joint report in response to the European Commission’s February 2021 Call for Advice on Digital Finance. The proposals that were put forward aim at maintaining a high level of consumer protection and addressing risks arising from the transformation of value chains, platformisation and the emergence of new ‘mixed-activity groups’ i.e. groups combining financial and non-financial activities.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA, held their first joint high-level conference on financial education and literacy on 1 and 2 February 2022. The conference gathered high-level government representatives as well as experts from public authorities, academia, NGOs, consumer associations and the industry to raise awareness of this important topic. It also offered a forum to share ideas and best practices and to gather input from all the stakeholders on how to tackle future challenges.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the list of countries with an advanced economy for calculating the equity risk under the alternative standardised approach (FRTB-SA). These RTS are part of the phase 3 deliverables of the EBA roadmap for the new market and counterparty credit risk approaches.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has selected Marilin Pikaro to become the Director of its Innovation, Conduct and Consumers Department. Ms Pikaro, an Estonian national, comes with a wealth of experience in both the public and private sector. She will take up her new role on 1 March 2022, and will be responsible for the EBA’s thematic and policy work on digital finance and information and communication technology (ICT) and security risks, consumer protection, and Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). This appointment is part of the EBA’s changes to its internal organisation, which entered into force as of 1 June 2021, with the aim of fostering synergies, increasing focus, and developing staff.

​​​​​​​The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today its central database for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT). This European reporting System for material CFT/AML weaknesses, EuReCA, will be central to coordinating efforts by competent authorities and the EBA to prevent and counter money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risks in the Union.

The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA and EIOPA) published today a Joint ESAs thematic repository on financial education and digitalisation initiatives of National Competent Authorities (NCAs), with a specific focus on cybersecurity, scams and fraud. The repository contains 127 national initiatives that provide consumers with helpful information on how to improve their financial literacy. In addition, the EBA also published the second edition of its general repository of national education initiatives in the banking sector, which contains another 200 initiatives.

​​​​​​​The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – ESAs) published today a statement welcoming the European Systemic Risk Board’s (ESRB) Recommendation on systemic cyber risk, which calls on the ESAs to prepare for the gradual development of a Pan-European systemic cyber incident coordination framework (EU-SCICF). This will support an effective and coordinated response at EU-level in the event of a major cross-border cyber incident that could have a systemic impact on the Union’s financial sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Report on amendments to its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on currencies with constraints on the availability of liquid assets in the context of the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR). The proposed amendments remove the Norwegian Krone (NOK) from the list. As a result, no currency will be recognised as having constraints on the availability of liquid assets.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft implementing technical standards (ITS) on Pillar 3 disclosures on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks. The final draft ITS put forward comparable disclosures to show how climate change may exacerbate other risks within institutions’ balance sheets, how institutions are mitigating those risks, and their ratios, including the GAR, on exposures financing taxonomy-aligned activities, such as those consistent with the Paris agreement goals.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation to update its Guidelines on the remuneration benchmarking exercise under the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD), which was originally published in 2012 and updated in 2014. The review integrates additional requirements introduced by CRD V regarding the application of derogations to the requirement to pay out a part of variable remuneration in instruments and under deferral arrangements and the benchmarking of the gender pay gap. In addition, the review also includes guidance on how to harmonise the benchmarking of approvals granted by shareholders to use higher ratios than 100% between the variable and fixed remuneration. A separate and specific set of Guidelines is provided for investment firms under Investment Firms Directive (IFD). The consultation runs until 21 March 2022.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on updates to its Guidelines on the data collection exercise on high earners, which were originally published in 2012 and revised in 2014. The review of the data collection exercises reflect the amended remuneration framework laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRDV), including the introduction of derogations to pay out a part of the variable remuneration in instruments and under deferral arrangements. In addition, the need to update these Guidelines stems from the specific remuneration regime that has been introduced for investment firms and is laid down in the Investment Firms Directive (IFD) and Investment Firms Regulation (IFR). The consultation runs until 21 March 2022.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Discussion Paper on its preliminary observations on selected payment fraud data under the Payment Services Directive (PSD2), as reported by the industry for the years 2019 and 2020. This Paper presents the main findings related to three payment instruments: credit transfers, card-based payments and cash withdrawals and also outlines other patterns that appear to be inconclusive and that would benefit from comments and views from market stakeholders. The responses to the questions raised in the Discussion Paper will support the EBA, the European Central Bank (ECB) and national authorities in interpreting the fraud data that will be reported in future years.

Following the uncertainty over COVID-19 developments, the European Banking Authority (EBA) confirms the need to continue monitoring exposures and the credit quality of loans benefitting from various public support measures. To facilitate such monitoring, the Guidelines on the reporting and disclosure of exposures subject to measures applied in response to the COVID-19 crisis continue to apply until further notice.

​​​​​​​The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines for institutions and resolution authorities on improving banks’ resolvability. These Guidelines represent a significant step in complementing the EU legal framework in the field of resolution based on international standards and leveraging on EU best practices. The EBA also launched today its consultation paper on Guidelines for institutions and resolution authorities on transferability of parts of or a whole bank in the context of resolution to complement the resolvability assessment for transfer strategies. In particular, the Guidelines specify separability in the context of the application of transfer tools. The consultation runs until 15 April 2022.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its quarterly Risk Dashboard together with the results of the autumn edition of the Risk Assessment Questionnaire (RAQ). The NPL ratio declined to 2.1% and the stage 2 ratio contracted to 8.7%. Return on equity (RoE) was reported higher than pre-pandemic levels at 7.7%. RAQ results show that around 50% of banks cover their cost of equity (CoE) with more than 70% of banks estimate a CoE range between 8% and 12%. It remains to be seen to what extent the Omicron-related wave of infections will affect asset quality and profitability.

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA –published today the list of identified financial conglomerates for 2021.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its Opinion on the scale and impact of de-risking in the EU and the steps competent authorities should take to tackle unwarranted de-risking. Providing access to at least basic financial products and services is a prerequisite for the participation in modern economic and social life and de-risking, when unwarranted, can cause the financial exclusion of legitimate customers. It can also affect competition and financial stability.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting with respect to common reporting (COREP), asset encumbrance, global systemically important institutions (G-SIIs) and additional liquidity monitoring metrics (ALMM). Proportionality was a key consideration in the proposed changes, making reporting requirements better suited to the size and risk of the institutions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a package of two final draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) regarding the reclassification of investment firms as credit institutions. These final draft RTS, which are part of the EBA’s roadmap for the implementation of a new prudential regime for investment firms, will provide clarity in the calculation of the EUR 30 bn threshold for investment firms looking to understand whether they should be applying for authorisation as a credit institution, as well as assist competent authorities in the monitoring of firms’ position triggering a reclassification.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) specifying and, where relevant, calibrating the minimum performance-related triggers for simple, transparent and standardised (STS) on-balance-sheet securitisations that feature non-sequential amortisation.  The Capital Markets Recovery Package amended the Securitisation Regulation in several aspects, including creating a specific framework for STS on-balance-sheet securitisation to ensure that the Union securitisation framework provides for an additional tool to foster economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. These draft technical standards aim at providing technical clarification on these triggers. The consultation runs until 28 February 2022.