The European Central Bank Banking Division has published the results of the COVID-19 vulnerability analysis it conducted on Eurozone banks directly prudentially supervised under the Single Supervisory Mechanism. The analysis was designed to establish how 86 Eurozone banks would be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and any vulnerabilities that may arise over a three-year horizon.

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The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published an announcement on its approach to dividend payments and share buybacks by large U.K. banks subject to its prudential supervision, in light of COVID-19. The PRA states that it intends to assess firms' plans for distributions beyond 2020 in Q4 2020, taking into account banks' current and projected capital positions and the level of uncertainty around the economy, market conditions and capital trajectories at that time.

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The European Central Bank has published an updated Recommendation on dividend distributions by significant institutions that are directly prudentially supervised by the ECB. The Recommendation states that, until January 1, 2021, no dividends should be paid out for the financial years 2019 and 2020, nor should share buy-backs aimed at remunerating shareholders take place. Banks that consider themselves legally required to pay out dividends should explain their underlying reasons to their joint supervisory team. Banks that plan to pay dividends to a non-Eurozone parent institution, parent financial holding company or parent mixed financial holding company should also discuss their intentions with their joint supervisory team.

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The European Commission has published a series of proposed legislative amendments to reduce the burden on financial institutions during the coronavirus pandemic in relation to their obligations under the EU Securitization Regulation, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive and the Prospectus Regulation. The package is referred to as the Capital Markets Recovery Package and is designed to make it easier for companies to raise capital and increase banks' capacity to finance the recovery.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a statement on coordination of supervisory action on issuers’ accounting for lease modifications in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Issuers have encountered challenges in accounting for the large number of lease modifications granted in many jurisdictions. The International Accounting Standards Board issued an amendment to IFRS 16 in May 2020 which provided practical relief for lessees.

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Following the announcement of the extension for solo-regulated firms of the deadline for completion of firms' first assessments of the fitness and propriety of their Certified Persons from December 9, 2020, to March 31, 2021, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has opened a consultation on extending certain other implementation deadlines for the Certification Regime and Conduct Rules. The extension of the deadline for firms' first fitness and propriety assessments was agreed to by HM Treasury in light of the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

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HM Treasury has published a statement on the application of the EU CRR Quick Fix package during the Brexit transitional period. The EU CRR Quick Fix package consists of a Regulation amending the Capital Requirements Regulation (and also amending the Regulation amending the CRR, known as CRR2) and it was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 26, 2020. The Regulation forms part of the EU's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has opened a consultation on proposals for extending coverage of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for temporary high balances. Responses to the consultation may be submitted until July 23, 2020. The PRA is proposing to extend coverage under the FSCS for temporary high balances, from six months to 12 months from the date of the deposit or the first date the balance becomes legally transferrable to the depositor. The coverage would revert to six months from February 1, 2021. The proposal is made because of the impact of COVID-19 on consumers.

View the consultation paper.

The European Commission has launched a consultation on proposed revisions to the EU Directive on the security of network and information systems across the Union (commonly known as the NIS Directive), which is designed to protect the security of EU network and information systems. The NIS Directive sets out, among other things, the parameters of national network and information security strategies to be implemented by Member States for providers of "essential services", which include credit institutions (as defined under the EU Capital Requirements Regulation) and financial market infrastructures.

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The European Banking Authority has published a report on the implementation of certain prudential policies introduced by the EBA to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report focuses on two areas in particular: implementation issues around the EBA's Guidelines on legislative and non-legislative moratoria on loan repayments and the criteria that institutions should follow for the identification and treatment of operational risk events and losses.

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The FATF has published the results of its 12-month review into the revised FATF standards published in June 2019, designed to help tackle money laundering and terrorist financing risks connected with virtual assets and virtual asset service providers. The FATF's revised standards introduced a new Interpretive Note to Recommendation 15 on New Technologies, which clarified how countries should apply the FATF standards to virtual assets and VASPs, as well as updated guidance on a risk-based approach for virtual assets and VASPs. When the revisions were published, the FATF undertook to conduct a 12-month review of the changes.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published an updated statement on the open access regime for trading and clearing exchange-traded derivatives. The Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation provided a temporary opt-out from the open access requirements for trading venues and clearing houses in relation to ETDs. The opt-out was due to expire on July 3, 2020. However, in light of COVID-19, the EU has announced it is postponing the implementation of the open access regime for ETDs until July 3, 2021. The FCA's statement acknowledges the EU's postponement of the regime and states that the amended open access regime will form part of retained EU law that will be transposed by the U.K. post-Brexit and will continue to apply in the U.K. after the end of the transition period.

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A notice of information has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, postponing the entry into application of open access provisions for exchange-traded derivatives under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation until July 3, 2021.

MiFIR requires a trading venue to provide open and non-discriminatory access to a CCP so that a CCP can clear trades in transferable securities, money market instruments and ETDs concluded on a trading venue of their choice. There is a reciprocal requirement on CCPs to provide open and non-discriminatory access to a trading venue that wishes to clear financial instruments through a particular CCP. These provisions have been in force for over-the-counter products (i.e. those not traded on a regulated market) for some time. The European Securities and Markets Authority published a statement in June 2020 setting out the circumstances in which trading venues and CCPs may refuse requests for access, acknowledging the strain placed on trading venues and CCPs by COVID-19, which may impact their ability to deal with such requests.

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The Financial Stability Board has published a statement on the impact of COVID-19 on global benchmark reforms. Although the FSB acknowledges some aspects of benchmark reform will be delayed due to the effects of COVID-19, many areas can go on as planned and the FSB considers that firms should continue to make wider use of risk-free rates to reduce reliance on IBORs. Firms should also ensure their transition programs facilitate a transition away from LIBOR before the end of 2021. The FSB will publish a report on the remaining challenges for benchmark transition later in July.

View the FSB's statement on the impact of COVID-19 on LIBOR benchmark reform.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has announced its expectations for benchmark administrators and firms using Appointed Representatives that are subject to the Approved Persons Regime during COVID-19. The APR has been superseded by the Senior Managers and Certification Regime for most solo- and dual-regulated firms. However, as benchmark administrators were a new category of authorized firm, they were granted a one-year extension from the roll-out of the SM&CR and so remain subject to the APR until December 7, 2020, when the SM&CR for benchmark administrators that do not undertake other regulated activities will be implemented.

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The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published a statement on the EU Capital Requirements Regulation ‘Quick Fix’ package, confirming that it applies directly to all PRA-regulated firms. The CRR Quick Fix package has applied across the EU since June 27, 2020. The CRR Quick Fix package is part of the EU’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In its statement, the PRA confirms that U.K.-regulated banks already applying the CRR transitional arrangements for IFRS 9 must implement the revised calculations as a result of the Quick Fix package, which extended by two years the transitional measures for the implementation of IFRS 9. In addition, a bank contemplating ceasing to apply the IFRS 9 transitional measures must first obtain PRA approval to do so. The PRA is encouraging those banks to submit their requests by July 31, 2020, which requests must include a written explanation of the basis on which senior management has satisfied itself with the continuing adequacy of the bank’s financial resources.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has announced the extension for solo-regulated firms of the deadline for completion of firms’ first assessments of the fitness and propriety of their Certified Persons. In light of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on financial institutions, HM Treasury agreed to extend the deadline from December 9, 2020, to March 31, 2021, although the legislation to formalize the extension is yet to be finalized. The FCA states that firms that are able to carry out their assessments before the March 2021 deadline, should do so.

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The U.K. Prudential Regulator has announced that, given the time firms have had to adjust to working during COVID-19 and the need for prudential regulators to access data in a timely manner, the PRA expects that, in general, firms will submit regulatory reports on time going forward. Firms experiencing difficulty with this should contact their supervisor. This amends the statement made by the PRA on April 2, 2020, when it stated that it would accept delayed submission of certain regulatory returns with deadlines on or before May 31, 2020. The PRA's previous statement, which confirmed its flexibility on receiving firms' Pillar 3 disclosures, still stands, although the PRA notes that it does not expect publication timelines for Pillar 3 disclosures to be affected by COVID-19 in most cases.

View the PRA's statement on regulatory reporting during COVID-19.

View the PRA's April statement on regulatory reporting.

A new EU Regulation amending the Capital Requirements Regulation (and also amending the Regulation amending the CRR, known as CRR2), has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. It is known as the CRR Quick Fix package and applies from June 27, 2020. The Regulation forms part of the EU’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

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An EU Regulation amending the Regulatory Technical Standards on prudent valuation has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The amending Regulation amends Delegated Regulation (EU) No 101/2016 (which supplements the EU Capital Requirements Regulation) by increasing the aggregation factor applicable to the core approach from 50% to 66% until December 31, 2020, with the aim of it applying for the June 30, 2020, COREP reporting. The amending Regulation applies from June 26, 2020.

View the amending Regulation.

The European Banking Authority has extended the applicability of its Guidelines on legislative and non-legislative loan repayments in light of the ongoing effects of COVID-19. The Guidelines were originally published in April 2020 and stated that, where payment moratoria were based on national law or a private-sector initiative broadly applied by credit institutions in response to COVID-19, they would not be classified as forbearance or distressed restructuring measures. The Guidelines as originally published applied to moratoria applied before June, 30 2020. That deadline has now been extended to moratoria applied before September 30, 2020.
 
View the EBA's updated statement on its Guidelines on payments moratoria.
 
View details of the EBA's original statement on its Guidelines on payments moratoria.

The European Banking Authority has published the results of its peer review of EU deposit guarantee schemes. The EU Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive establishes requirements for EU DGSs, including that Member States conduct stress tests of their DGSs. Member States were required to report on their stress tests by July 3, 2019, and the EBA has based its peer review report on the results of the tests. The report is intended to assess the resilience of EU DGSs and identify good practices and areas for improvement.

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The U.K. Payment Systems Regulator and U.K. Financial Conduct Authority have published a joint statement on their approach to maintaining access to cash for those that need it in light of bank branch and cash machine closures due to COVID-19. The regulators have adopted a series of actions, including mapping which regions have seen branch and cash machine closures, working with banks, building societies, the Post Office and Link to ensure access to these facilities is re-established as soon as possible and focusing on the needs of vulnerable consumers who require ongoing access to cash. In the longer-term, the regulators will work to ensure reasonable access to cash is maintained, including through use of shared services and local community initiatives, and anticipate additional powers to preserve access to cash from upcoming legislation announced in the U.K. Government’s 2020 budget.
 
View the PSR's statement on access to cash.
 
View the FCA's statement on access to cash.
 
Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has published its 2019 Annual Report together with an updated version of its 2020 Work Program, incorporating changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
ESMA’s 2019 Annual Report discusses ESMA’s work in 2019, which included: (a) the entry into force of EMIR 2.2, including significant new responsibilities for ESMA in the authorization and supervision of CCPs; (b) ESMA’s common supervisory action on the application of the revised Markets in Financial Instrument Directive’s requirements on the assessment of appropriateness, for which ESMA will consider whether any follow-up work is needed in 2020; (c) reviews of MiFID II and the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation, including on fair access to, and lowering the cost of, market data and the consolidated tape; and (d) sustainable finance, including technical advice delivered to the European Commission on the integration of sustainability risks for investment firms and investment funds into relevant EU legislation, a report on undue short-termism in securities markets and contributions to the technical expert group on sustainable finance which is due to deliver technical advice on delegated legislation relating to the EU Benchmarks Regulation.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a statement on the open access provisions for exchange-traded derivatives under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation.

MiFIR requires a trading venue to provide open and non-discriminatory access to a CCP so that a CCP can clear trades in transferable securities, money market instruments and ETDs concluded on a trading venue of their choice, which will in turn allow the members of a trading venue to select the CCP they wish to use for clearing. There is a reciprocal requirement on CCPs to provide open and non-discriminatory access to a trading venue that wishes to clear financial instruments through a particular CCP. These provisions are controversial since they mean that valuable intellectual property and IT systems developed by exchanges effectively must be made available to competitors or new market entrants. It has been argued that the open access requirements make the EU unattractive as a location for exchange businesses due to the commercial disadvantages that result for those exchanges which have successfully invested in innovation.

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The Bank of England and U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority have publicly acknowledged the ESRB's Recommendation on the restriction of distributions during COVID-19. The ESRB recommends that EU financial institutions refrain from making dividend distributions, entering into buy-backs of ordinary shares or creating obligations to pay variable remuneration to material risk takers where those actions reduce the quantity or quality of own funds at the EU group level and sub-consolidated or individual level. The BoE and PRA note that the Recommendation applies to U.K. authorities during the Brexit transition period.

View the BoE and PRA's joint statement on the ESRB's Recommendation.

View details of the ESRB's Recommendation.

Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.

The European Systemic Risk Board has announced a series of further actions designed to combat the impact of COVID-19 on European financial markets. The actions relate to the five priority areas already identified by the ESRB as requiring particular focus in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as follows:

• Implications for the financial system of guarantee schemes and other fiscal measures to protect the economy: the ESRB has published a Recommendation introducing minimum requirements for national monitoring of the financial stability implications of the various debt moratoria and guarantee schemes introduced by Member States to support economies through COVID-19 (Recommendation A); national regulators are also advised to regularly report information on these schemes to the ESRB in accordance with reporting templates to be published by the ESRB by June 30, 2020 (Recommendation B); national regulators implicated by the Recommendation should communicate the actions they have taken, or intend to take, in response to the Recommendation A by July 31, 2020 and Recommendation B by December 31, 2020;

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published guidance for banks on continuing to make branch access available for essential services. In considering reopening and operating branches, banks should balance the needs of their customers against the safety and welfare of their staff. Maintaining access to essential services for vulnerable customers, such as access to cash, telephone banking and in-person payments, should be a particular priority. Firms should also prioritize the reinstatement of access to cash and essential services in local areas which have lost access to bank branches as a result of the pandemic, and, where this is not possible, should ensure they communicate clearly with customers through websites and physical signs at branches to point them to alternatives, including Post Office services.
 
View the FCA's guidance on branch access during COVID-19.
 
Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.

The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published a “Dear CEO” letter providing further guidance on IFRS 9 and capital requirements in the context of COVID-19. The PRA published a “Dear CEO” letter in March 2020, advising firms on the application of certain key concepts (including the definition of "default" in the Capital Requirements Regulation and expected credit loss accounting under IFRS 9). This guidance related in large part to payment holidays, many of which are now coming to an end. The PRA’s latest guidance therefore focuses on exits from those initial payment deferrals. 

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The Bank of England has written to CEOs of U.K. financial market infrastructure providers, urging them to carefully consider the additional risks and potential financial and operational demands of COVID-19 when determining shareholder distributions or variable remuneration. U.K. FMI providers are expected to discuss any intended shareholder distributions with the Bank of England.
 
View the BoE's Dear CEO letter to FMIs.
 
Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s Executive Director of Supervision for Investment, Wholesale and Specialists, Megan Butler, has given a speech setting out the FCA’s current priorities, its expectations of firms during the COVID-19 pandemic and the outcomes it is focusing on for the wealth management sector, as well as the future priorities for financial regulation.
 
The FCA initially prioritized immediate relief for firms and consumers, including on mortgages and unsecured lending products, at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, but is now looking at how it will respond to the challenges of COVID-19 on a more long-term basis. This longer-term approach includes ensuring a good level of operational resilience (in line with the FCA’s ongoing consultation on that topic), that markets can continue to function well, that customers are treated fairly and protected from scams and that the FCA understands firms’ financial resilience so that they can fail in an orderly manner. 

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a Decision renewing the temporary lower threshold for disclosures of net short positions in shares. ESMA's original Decision has been in effect since March 16, 2020 and was due to expire on June 16, 2020. The Decision to renew the measures will apply from June 17, 2020 for a further three months. The lower thresholds apply to all holders of net short positions in shares traded on an EU regulated market (i.e., exchange) who must notify the relevant national regulator if the position reaches or exceeds 0.1% of the issued share capital and of each 0.1% above that threshold.

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The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published a statement on the use of electronic signatures in the context of remote working arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PRA has stated that, in the absence of specific legal provisions to the contrary, firms are entitled to use electronic signatures to submit forms and other regulatory documents to the PRA. The advice does not extend to the use of electronic signatures more generally.

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The European Banking Authority has published guidelines on bank reporting and disclosure of exposures subject to measures designed to protect borrowers from the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. The measures include payment moratoria, which are exempt from prudential treatment as forbearance measures and therefore not subject to the usual supervisory reporting framework. Public guarantee schemes introduced in many Member States are also not captured by existing reporting frameworks. This has created a data gap, which has implications for the risk-analysis of individual institutions and for overall financial stability in the EU.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published final guidance on how mortgage lenders should treat customers coming to the end of a payment holiday, or those yet to request one, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance will come into force on June 4, 2020 and remain in force until October 31, 2020, unless renewed or updated. The guidance covers: (i) fair treatment of customers seeking, or coming to the end of, a payment deferral; (ii) options for customers able, or unable, to resume full payments; (iii) the interaction of the guidance with the FCA’s Mortgage Conduct of Business Sourcebook; (iv) training, monitoring, record keeping and Credit Reference Agency reporting; (v) repossessions; and (vi) debt help and money guidance.

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Following the introduction of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill into Parliament on May 20, 2020, the U.K. government has published a series of guidance notes on the measures proposed in the Bill. The proposed measures, first announced by Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on March 28, 2020, are intended to protect companies and businesses facing major funding and operational difficulties in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Once final, the Bill will amend current U.K. insolvency law by, among other things, introducing a new moratorium, establishing a new restructuring plan procedure for failing companies that includes a mechanism to bind a dissenting class of creditors to the plan, and banning termination clauses that would come into effect when a company enters into insolvency, begins a moratorium or starts the new restructuring plan procedure. The Bill will also temporarily remove the threat of personal liability from wrongful trading for directors of companies where they face financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19, which will apply retrospectively from March 1, 2020.

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The International Organization of Securities Commissions, the international policy forum for securities regulators, has published a statement on the disclosure standards that securities issuers should adhere to in the context of COVID-19.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority will temporarily allow regulated firms subject to continuing professional development requirements to carry over any uncompleted CPD hours to the following 12-month period, for years ending before April 1, 2021. Firms should review the FCA’s conditions for carrying over CPD requirements, which include where an individual, due to the current exceptional circumstances arising from COVID-19, will be unable to complete their CPD hours in their current CPD period. The FCA also notes that firms are still expected to demonstrate that relevant individuals remain competent to carry out their work and it expects most individuals to be able to continue to complete CPD while on furlough or working from home.
 
View the FCA's announcement on CPD requirements.
 
Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.

The European Commission has published an adjusted 2020 Work Program to reflect the unexpected challenges arising from COVID-19. The Commission still intends to deliver on the commitments made under its original Work Program, published in January 2020, but has adjusted the timing of certain actions necessary to achieve its objectives. An update on the delivery and expected timing of the objectives under the adjusted Work Program are set out in an amended version of Annex 1 on the Commission’s website.

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The European Banking Authority has published a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial health of EU banks. The report is mostly based on supervisory data submitted by banks in Q4 2019 and Q1 2020. The EBA's report confirms that banks have activated their contingency plans in response to the crisis, however, their operational capabilities remain under pressure. In addition, some banks have used parts of their capital and liquidity buffers and are expected to continue to do so in the coming months. The report also confirms that the asset quality of banks is likely to continue deteriorating as non-performing loan volumes increase.

View the EBA's report.

Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.

The Bank of England has announced that it will discontinue its three-month Contingent Term Repo Facility at the end of May 2020, with the final operation scheduled to take place on May 28, 2020. The BoE’s one-month CTRF operations will continue on a weekly basis until at least June 26, 2020. The BoE has also said that it will reintroduce the operations if necessary. 
 
The CTRF was established by the BoE in March 2020, at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak, allowing financial market participants to borrow central bank reserves in exchange for less liquid assets.
 
View the BoE's market notice on amendments to the CTRF.

The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published a new statement on the application of regulatory capital and IFRS 9 requirements to payment holidays granted or extended to address COVID-19. The statement follows the announcements made by the PRA, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and the U.K. Financial Reporting Council in March 2020 on financial reporting and audit requirements in light of COVID-19. Those announcements included a letter from the PRA to banks on the application of IFRS 9 (including expected credit loss accounting) to loan arrangements during the pandemic.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published two consultations on its draft guidance for firms on mortgages and safeguarding customers’ funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The first consultation relates to the FCA’s proposed guidance on how mortgage lenders should treat customers coming to the end of a payment holiday or those yet to request one. The timeframe for customers who have not yet benefited from a payment holiday to apply for one will be extended to October 31, 2020. The current ban on house repossessions will also be extended to October 31, 2020.

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The U.K. Government has published the U.K. Corporate Governance and Insolvency Bill. The Bill amends aspects of insolvency and company law to assist firms struggling to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures include:
 

• A new moratorium giving companies breathing space from creditors while they investigate rescue options;
• A prohibition on contractual termination upon insolvency clauses, preventing suppliers from refusing to supply goods while a company is going through a rescue process;
• A temporary removal of liability for wrongful trading for company directors who try to keep their businesses operating through the pandemic;
• A temporary prohibition on the filing of statutory demands and winding up petitions by creditors; and
• Temporary permission for companies to hold closed Annual General Meetings.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a statement calling for transparency in the half-year financial reports of EU-listed issuers. The statement focuses on interim financial statements that need to be prepared according to IFRS standards and on interim management reports for 2020 half-yearly reporting periods. However, the statement is also relevant to the reporting of financial information in other interim periods. ESMA highlights that issuers must provide updated and useful information that covers the current and expected impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their financial position, performance and cash-flows. In addition, issuers should identify the principal risks and uncertainties to which they are exposed.

View ESMA's statement.

The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published a Policy Statement on its approach to implementing the European Banking Authority's Technical Standards and Guidelines on Probability of Default estimation, Loss Given Default estimation and the treatment of defaulted exposures in the Internal Ratings Based approach to credit risk. The EBA's regulatory products are designed to address concerns about the variability of own funds requirements arising from the internal models that firms use to calculate their minimum credit risk capital requirements under the Capital Requirements Regulation. The Policy Statement is relevant to U.K. banks, building societies and PRA-designated U.K. investment firms.

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The U.K. Government intends to exempt financial services firms from certain provisions of the new U.K. Corporate Governance and Insolvency Bill. The Bill, announced on March 28, 2020, will amend aspects of the U.K. insolvency regime (as set out under the Insolvency Act 1986) in light of the financial difficulties faced by many businesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bill also includes provisions for companies’ annual general meetings and filing requirements during the COVID-19 crisis.

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The European Systemic Risk Board has established five priority areas on which it intends to take action to combat the impact of COVID-19 on the EU financial system. In determining its actions, the ESRB hopes to ensure an effective response to the pandemic across the EU that prevents individual Member State actions from negatively impacting the EU Single Market and to take advantage of flexibility in regulatory standards to support financial institutions in providing financial services and liquidity.

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The Bank for International Settlements has published a report on financial crime during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Report provides an overview of the increase in financial crime observed since the COVID-19 outbreak, which includes an increase in cyber threats, greater misuse of online financial services and virtual assets to move illicit funds and possible corruption associated with government stimulus funds. The Report also describes the cyber resilience measures proposed by national and international agencies and the AML actions taken by supervisory bodies, including the issuance of public statements to raise awareness of COVID-19-related AML risks, provision of guidance on the application of existing AML/CTF frameworks and coordination with the financial sector for the reporting of COVID-19-related fraud.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a statement confirming its support for the European Systemic Risk Board's Recommendation on tackling the implications of market illiquidity for asset managers with exposures to corporate debt and real estate. In accordance with the ESRB's Recommendation, ESMA intends to coordinate with Member State national regulators to engage closely with these asset managers. The supervisory engagement ties in with ESMA's common supervisory action, announced in January 2020, on liquidity risk management by managers of Undertakings for the Collective Investment in Transferable Securities.

View ESMA's statement on fund managers' liquidity risk management.

View details of the ESRB's Recommendation.

View details of ESMA's common supervisory action on liquidity risk management for UCITS.

Details of other regulatory responses to COVID-19 are available on our COVID-19 Research Center.