The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a final Report and final draft Regulatory Technical Standards on the trading obligation for derivatives under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation. The trading obligation is applicable to classes of derivatives that: (i) have been declared subject to the clearing obligation under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation, (ii) are admitted to trading or traded on at least one EU trading venue (a regulated market, multilateral trading facility, organized trading facility or a third country equivalent trading venue) and (iii) are sufficiently liquid. The trading obligation will apply to financial counterparties and to non-financial counterparties. Where ESMA determines that a class of derivatives should be subject to the MiFIR trading obligation, third country trading venues would only be permissible for trading by EU entities when determined to be equivalent by the European Commission.

The final draft RTS on the trading obligation provide for the trading obligation to apply to fixed-to-float interest rate swaps denominated in euros, US dollars and pound sterling and to index credit default swaps (iTraxx Europe Main and iTraxx Europe Crossover). The trading obligation for both IRS and CDS will apply from January 3, 2018, unless the clearing obligation for a particular class of derivatives has not yet entered into force.

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The European Commission has published legislative proposals designed to strengthen and further integrate the supervisory framework of the European Union. The proposals build on contributions to the Commission's public consultation in autumn 2016 on the European Systemic Risk Board and its public consultation in spring 2017 on the European Supervisory Authorities – the European Banking Authority, the European Securities and Markets Authority and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority.

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The European Banking Authority has published its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards setting out a comprehensive list of the information that must be provided to national regulators by firms applying for authorization as a credit institution under the Capital Requirements Directive. The final draft RTS are accompanied by final draft Implementing Technical Standards which set out the various procedures and requirements for making applications, along with a template to be used and guidance on how national regulators should deal with incomplete applications. The next step is for the European Commission to consider the draft RTS and ITS with a view to making a decision whether to endorse them via delegated legislation. In an accompanying press release, the EBA urges the Commission to consider adopting the RTS and ITS at the earliest opportunity to enable processing of applications from entities seeking to relocate to continental Europe in the context of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

View the EBA Final Report.

View the Press Release.

The draft legislation for the exit of the UK from the European Union has been introduced to the House of Commons. The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-2019, which has previously been referred to as the Great Repeal Bill and also as the Repeal Bill, is a legislative measure which performs four main functions. It will: (i) end the supremacy of EU law in UK law by repealing the European Communities Act 1972; (ii) convert EU law as it stands at the moment of exit into domestic law before the UK leaves the EU; (iii) create powers to make secondary legislation, including temporary powers to enable corrections to be made to the laws that would otherwise no longer operate appropriately once the UK has left the EU and to implement the withdrawal agreement under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union; and (iv) maintain the current scope of devolved decision making powers in areas currently governed by EU law. The Bill must pass through both Houses of Parliament before it can receive Royal Assent.

View the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-2019.

View the Explanatory Notes to the Bill.

View webpage for the Bill.

View the Shearman & Sterling Client Briefing.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has published three Opinions setting out sector-specific principles for Brexit-related relocations in the sectors of investment management, investment firms and for secondary markets. These sector-specific Opinions build on a cross-sector Opinion published in May 2017. The principles do not set out any new legal requirements, but they are intended to serve as practical tools to support supervisory convergence among national regulators in EU27 countries when approached by UK market participants seeking to relocate in the content of the UK's exit from the EU. The Opinions have been published in the wake of reports that some member state regulators have been marketing their jurisdictions as locations for business and it has been thought that some regulators may have been offering a lighter-touch form of regulatory and especially "presence" standards than others.

The Opinions, which assume (without prejudice to ongoing negotiations) that the UK will become a third country on exit from the EU, highlight particular issues national regulators in EU27 should consider when considering applications from relocating market participants. Factors for close consideration include governance structure and internal control, the impact and influence of group membership, the nature and extent of proposed outsourcing arrangements and the need to mitigate the risk of letter-box entities. ESMA also recommends that national regulators consider co-operation arrangements with third country regulators where appropriate.

View Opinion on Investment Firms.

View Opinion on Investment Management.

View Opinion on Secondary Markets.

The European Commission has adopted a Recommendation for a Council Decision authorizing the Commission to open Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom. This Recommendation includes a draft negotiation directive in the Annex, which covers the first phase of the negotiations and prioritizes matters which have been identified as important to ensure an orderly withdrawal.

View the Recommendation.

View the draft negotiation directive.

The European Council has published Guidelines outlining the proposed framework and stances for its negotiations with the UK under Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union and setting out the overall positions and principles that the EU will seek. The UK gave notification of its intention to leave the EU on March 29, 2017.

View the Guidelines.

View the related European Commission press release.

The UK Government has published a consultation on the UK's future legal framework for imposing and implementing financial sanctions upon Brexit. The UK currently adopts sanctions through EU legislation, which is effective via the European Communities Act 1972.

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The Prudential Regulation Authority has published a letter to CEOs and branch managers of all banks, insurers and designated investment firms undertaking cross-border activities between the UK and the remainder of the EU, including branches of EU firms operating in the UK, concerning the need for contingency planning for the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The PRA has requested that each firm provides, by July 14, 2017, written confirmation that it has considered its contingency plans, a short summary of the plans, assurance that the plans address an appropriately wide range of scenarios and whether any new authorization or regulatory engagement is required. EU branches operating in the UK which have significant retail or SME transactional deposits should consider, among other things, whether they need to convert their operation into a UK subsidiary. The Financial Policy Committee will be overseeing the plans to mitigate any risks to financial stability.

View the letter.

UK Prime Minster Theresa May formally notified the European Council of the UK's intention to withdraw from the European Union in accordance with requirements set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union. Prime Minister May sent a letter to the President of the Council, Donald Tusk, which sets out the approach the UK Government seeks to take in discussing its exit from the European Union over the next two years.

View the letter.

You might like to view our Brexit resource page, which is available here.

The Bank of England published its latest Financial Stability report. In the Report, the Financial Policy Committee explains the key risks affecting the UK financial system, how it is addressing these risks and the developments since the Brexit referendum. The Report also includes a summary of the results of the Bank of England's 2016 bank stress test.

The first part of the Report outlines in detail the Committee’s analysis of major risks posed to the stability of the UK economy and the action it is taking in light of such risks. The second part of the Report contains a summary of the Committee’s analysis of those risks and of the resilience of the financial system. The Committee comments that since the Referendum, financial stability in the UK has been maintained despite a challenging period of uncertainty around the domestic and global economic outlook. For example, there have been significant movements in asset prices, including a 12% fall in the sterling exchange rate index. The Committee also comments that the outlook for financial stability in the UK remains challenging as the economy has entered into a period of adjustment. Since July, vulnerabilities that stem from the global economic environment and financial markets have further increased, such as the expected expansionary fiscal policy that could follow the recent US election. The Committee comments that the UK banking system is capitalized to sustain the provision of financial services when faced with severe stresses. Since the global financial crisis, UK banks have built up capital resources with the aggregate common equity Tier 1 capital held by major UK banks now at 13.5% of risk-weighted assets (as at September 2016).  

Read more.

The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, announced that he would be extending his term of office at the Bank by a year to the end of June 2019. Mr. Carney commented that the extension of his term of office would go beyond the expected time for Brexit which should help to contribute to a smooth transition to the UK's new relationship with the EU.

View the announcement.

The European Commission established a task force to prepare and conduct negotiations with the United Kingdom. The Task Force will assist the Commission on all strategic, operational, legal and financial issues related to the negotiations. Sabine Weyand, currently Deputy Director-General in the Commission's trade department (DG TRADE) will become the Deputy Chief Negotiator as of 1 October 2016.  The announcement follows the appointment of Michel Barnier as Chief Negotiator on July 27, 2016. Mr. Barnier will commence his role from October 1, 2016. The Commission noted that once the UK triggers the process to leave the EU, Mr. Barnier will then make the necessary contacts with the UK authorities. 

View the press release.

You might like to view our Brexit resource page, which is available here. 

The Bank of England published its latest Financial Stability Report in which the Bank's Financial Policy Committee sets out the key risks to the UK's financial system and weighs them against the resilience of the system. In March 2016, the FPC had identified areas through which there could be increased risk to the UK's financial stability as a result of the vote by the UK public to leave the EU. Such areas include financing of the UK's large current account deficit, the commercial real estate market, the high level of household indebtedness, limited growth in the global economy and vulnerabilities in the functioning of the financial markets. The FPC states that there is evidence that some of these risks have begun to crystallize and that the current outlook for financial stability is challenging. The FPC is monitoring closely the risks of, amongst other things, further deterioration in investor appetite for UK assets, adjustments in commercial real estate markets tightening credit conditions and reduced and fragile liquidity in core financial markets.

To support the supply of credit and in support of market functioning, the FPC has reduced the UK countercyclical capital buffer rate from 0.5% to 0% of banks' UK exposures with immediate effect. This rate is expected to remain in effect until June 2017, and will reduce regulatory capital buffers by £5.7 billion. The FPC continues to monitor the risks closely.

View the report.

You may like to view our client publications and webinar materials on the impact of Brexit, available here.

US Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell delivered remarks to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, highlighting the impact of Brexit on the outlook for the US economy.

Governor Powell voiced concern that the Brexit vote has the potential to create new headwinds for economies around the world, including the United States. He noted that while it may be “far too early to judge the effects of the Brexit vote,” it will be important to assess implications for the US economy, and for the stance of policy to foster continued progress towards the objectives of maximum employment and price stability in the United States.

Governor Powell noted that for some time, the principal risks to the US labor market recovery and economic growth have been from abroad. Due to the high and continuously appreciating trade-weighted value of the US dollar, the economy inevitably “imports” trading partners’ weak economic performances and financial volatility. Powell stated that to successfully contain the impact of the British referendum, the Federal Reserve Board is “prepared to provide dollar liquidity through existing swap lines” with central banks to address pressures in global funding markets. Powell also noted that while financial conditions have “tightened” since the Brexit vote, markets have continued to function in an “orderly” manner and the US financial markets remain resilient.

View Governor Powell’s speech.