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Q&As refer to the provisions in force on the day of their publication. The EBA does not systematically review published Q&As following the amendment of legislative acts. Users of the Q&A tool should therefore check the date of publication of the Q&A and whether the provisions referred to in the answer remain the same.

Please note that the Q&As related to the supervisory benchmarking exercises have been moved to the dedicated handbook page. You can submit Q&As on this topic here.

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List of Q&A's

Permission to reduce AT1, Tier 2 or eligible liabilities instruments and deduction rules in the context of a liability management exercise without replacement.

When should deductions from own funds and eligible liabilities be applied in the context of a liability management exercise without replacement (i.e. a tender offer)? When can the unredeemed part of own funds or eligible liabilities be included in own funds or eligible liabilities again?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2024_7036
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 05/04/2024

Treasury shares – how to report them in Own Funds and in the NSFR

In CA1 (own funds), should treasury shares (holdings of own shares that were bought back with the prior permission from the CA) be reported in as ‘(-) Direct holdings of CET1 instruments’ (row 80) or should they be reported as part of the ‘Accumulated other comprehensive income’ (row 180) or ‘Other reserves’ (row 200) if they are already included in one of these accounts according to the accounting rules? In case treasury shares are to be reported as a deduction in row 80 in CA1 (hence this deduction is reversed in the NSFR own funds - see Q&A 2021_6016), should treasury shares require any stable funding?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2023_6748
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 23/02/2024

Ability of the Share Premium to absorb losses

Can the Share Premium be recognised as CET1 capital if there are features preventing its use to absorb losses?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2023_6932
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 12/01/2024

Share buybacks included in distribution policies

How and when should the share buyback ordinary component of an adopted profit distribution policy be reflected in the CET1 capital of institutions?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2023_6887
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 12/01/2024

Share buyback program: amount of upfront deduction

Does the upfront deduction under Article 28(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 as specified by Q&A 3277 include in addition to CET1 instruments and related share premium accounts also the other CET1 items that are reduced by a share buyback program authorized pursuant to Article 78(1)(b) CRR?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2023_6886
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 12/01/2024

Permission to reduce own funds or eligible liabilities and deduction rules in the context of a liability management exercise (exchange offer, tender offer or issuance of a replacement instrument concurrent with a tender offer on the existing instrument)

Should deductions from own funds and eligible liabilities with regards to a permission to reduce own funds or eligible liabilities in accordance with Article 77 of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR) in the context of a liability management exercise (exchange offer, tender offer or issuance of a replacement instrument concurrent with a tender offer on the existing instrument), rather than upon the exercise of a call option,  be made right after the permission from the competent authority / resolution authority is granted or could it be later at the time of the institution’s public announcement of the liability management exercise in accordance with Article 28(2) of the RTS on Own Funds? In that context, how should the concept of ‘sufficient certainty’ of Article 28(2) RTS be applied?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2023_6791
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 15/09/2023

Deduction of eligible liabilities instrument pursuant to Article 32b of RTS on Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities

How should an institution deduct the amount for which the resolution authority has given its prior permission under Article 78a of Regulation No 575/2013 (CRR) to reduce eligible liabilities instruments and where the permission granted only specifies a total amount of eligible liabilities instruments?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2022_6651
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 31/03/2023

Deduction of indirect holdings of own funds instruments in insurance and reinsurance undertakings which are subsidiaries of insurance holding company from own funds

Should indirect holdings of own funds instruments in insurance and reinsurance undertakings which are subsidiaries of insurance holding company be subject to the exemption provided for in Article 15a(2)(a) of Commission delegated regulation No 241/2014?   

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2022_6398
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 31/03/2023

Goodwill included in the valuation of significant investments

1. For the purposes of Article 37(b) CRR, are the significant investments of the institution limited to the significant investments in financial sector entities (FSE) or should they include all significant investments (i.e. also significant investments in entities that are not financial sector entities)? 2. Should Article 37(b) CRR be applied only when the significant investments outside the prudential perimeter are valued for prudential purposes using the equity method or should it be applied also when the significant investments are valued for prudential purposes at historical cost?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2022_6374
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 31/03/2023

CET 1 Minority Interest Calculation and Forex conversion of non-EU subsidiary’s financial statements

Regarding minority interests calculations: 1) Should the Common Equity Tier I items of the subsidiary referred to in Article 81(1) and 84(1)(a) CRR be calculated according to the local accounting framework or according to the consolidated applicable accounting framework, when the two frameworks differ? 2) Should the Other Comprehensive Income that arises from the currency conversion of the local financial statements to the Group’s reference currency be considered in the minority interest computation?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2021_5795
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 31/03/2023

Adding to own funds the unredeemed part of own funds.

When and under what conditions can the unredeemed part of own funds, for the redemption of which an institution had previously obtained a general prior permission from the competent authority in accordance with Article 77 and the second subparagraph of Article 78(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR), be included in own funds again?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2020_5615
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 24/02/2023

Calculation of goodwill included in the valuation of significant investments in insurance undertakings

A. For the purposes of a deduction under Article 36(1)(b) CRR, should the goodwill (Article 4(1) no. 113 and 115 CRR)  included in the valuation of significant investment                      be calculated at the acquisition date by separating any excess of the acquisition cost over the banking group’s share of the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of the insurance undertaking or be the amount disclosed as goodwill in the IFRS/NGAAP consolidated balance sheet of the parent institution (or parent financial holding company or parent mixed financial holding company, as applicable) in proportion of the participation recorded for prudential purposes (i.e. in case of participation of 100%, the full goodwill should be deducted, including also goodwill generated at the level of the insurance undertaking)?    B. Would the application of Article 49(1) CRR provide the possibility to risk weight rather than deduct the goodwill included in the valuation of significant investment in insurance undertakings?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2021_6211
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 10/02/2023

Deduction of software

Should software be deducted from own funds net of the whole amount of tax deductible amortisation that will be recorded throughout their life?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2020_5171
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 22/12/2022

Reduction of own funds according to Article 78(1)(a) CRR

May an institution that intends to reclassify part of its share capital as related share premium apply for the prior permission pursuant to letter (a) of Article 78(1) CRR or should letter (b) be used?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2021_6039
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 11/11/2022

Deduction of pledged own shares from Common Equity Tier 1 items

Should shares pledged to the issuing credit institution as collateral to secure a loan granted by the same credit institution to a customer be deducted from Common Equity Tier 1 items where, in case of default of the customer, the credit institution has the option to either appropriate the collateral or force its sale, bearing in mind that this does not affect the existence of a relationship between the value of the loan and the value of the shares?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2020_5128
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 15/07/2022

Implementation of Article 72b(2)(j) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (“CRR”) and whether the contractual provisions governing liabilities are required to refer to the permission regime in order for the liabilities to qualify as eligible liabilities instruments

In question 2013_544, the EBA stated that for Tier 2 instruments, Article 63(j) CRR, in conjunction with Article 77 of the CRR, stipulates that an institution must not effect the call, redemption, repayment or repurchase prior to the date of an instrument's contractual maturity without the prior permission of the competent authority, and that such instruments should therefore contain an explicit reference to these regulatory conditions in their terms. Article 72b(2)(j) CRR states that liabilities may only be called, redeemed, repaid or repurchased early where the conditions set out in Articles 77 and 78a are met. As there is no explicit positive obligation in the legislation to include a reference to the need for resolution authority approval, should eligible liabilities instruments contain an explicit reference to these regulatory conditions in their terms?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2021_6203
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 15/07/2022

Early repayment upon a common agreement between the issuer and the subscriber

Is a clause in provisions governing the capital instruments allowing that the parties (issuer and the investor) may mutually agree to have the issuer repay, at any time, but not before five years after the date of issuance, totally or partially, the principal amount of the capital instrument compliant with the eligibility criteria for own funds instruments?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Not applicable
  • ID: 2021_5720
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 15/07/2022

Fulfilment of conditions reported under Article 45(a) CRR for a synthetic holding held in the banking book and with a maturity less than 1 year

Can a Bank calculate the amount of the position subject to FSE thresholds’ mechanism for CET1 capital purposes for a synthetic holding as the net position resulting after offsetting the long position in equity and the short position from the forward sale agreement with a maturity less than 1 year?

  • Legal act: Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
  • COM Delegated or Implementing Acts/RTS/ITS/GLs: Regulation (EU) No 241/2014 - RTS for Own Funds requirements for institutions
  • ID: 2019_4687
  • Topic: Own funds
  • Date of submission:
  • Published as final Q&A: 01/04/2022