The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has published new regime pages following the closure of the OFSI Consolidated List of Asset Freeze Targets, which is now replaced with the UK Sanctions List (UKSL). The UKSL became the sole official source for UK sanctions designations from January. The new regime pages will host future sanctions notices, covering all changes to designations made under each regime on the UKSL. The old financial sanctions regime pages, while they will remain available for reference, will no longer be updated.

The European Commission has published a draft Implementing Regulation for consultation which introduces a list of certain spot foreign exchange (FX) benchmarks that will be exempt from the requirements under Article 18a of the Benchmark Regulation (BMR). The draft follows the May 2025 consultation to identify spot FX benchmarks used for hedging in jurisdictions where currencies are not freely convertible and where administrators, often unregulated and based outside the EU, cannot benefit from equivalence under Article 30, nor are incentivised to apply for recognition or endorsement due to costs and limited market benefit. Following consultation feedback, the draft Regulation identifies the following benchmarks as meeting the conditions of Article 18a and therefore to be excluded from the scope of the BMR:

• USD/INR (U.S. dollar/–Indian rupee).
• USD/KRW (U.S. dollar/–Korean won).
• USD/TWD (U.S. dollar/–Taiwan dollar).
• USD/PHP (U.S. dollar/–Philippine peso).

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The Bank of England (BoE) has issued a Dear CFO Letter setting out information on the third resolvability assessment framework (RAF) assessment. The assessment will evaluate firms' overall ability to meet the three resolvability outcomes, review progress in remediating issues from previous assessments and conduct targeted testing of capabilities under the continuity and restructuring outcome. This assessment will be carried out with an emphasis on testing capabilities in a manner consistent with how the BoE expects to engage with firms during contingency planning, and reflecting lessons from the use of the resolution regime in 2023. The letter highlights the type of targeted testing the BoE intends to conduct, and specific information banks are expected to provide including in their resolution assessment reports by 2 October. As part of the assessment, the BoE also intends to engage with the Accountable Executive and Board Risk Committee chairs to discuss their firms' approach to resolvability.

The letter also gives early notice of a review expected to take place in H2 2026 of the internal minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) scalar for ring‑fenced banks (or other entities at the top level of a material sub-group with a ring-fenced bank). This may involve further information requests from the BoE to assess the deployability of MREL resources under paragraph 7.9 of the MREL Statement of Policy. Finally, the BoE has confirmed that subject to the findings of the third assessment, the fourth RAF cycle is not expected to begin before 2029–30.

The Single Resolution Board (SRB) has launched a consultation on its draft operational guidance for banks on business reorganisation plan analysis reports (BRP AR) and the accompanying quantitative template. Following the implementation of the bail-in tool, institutions are required to prepare and deliver a BRP within one month. To ensure resolution readiness and demonstrate their business reorganisation-related capabilities, banks are requested to prepare a BRP AR in the resolution planning phase.

The consultation forms part of the SRB's shift under the SRM Vision 2028 from resolution planning to operationalisation, resolution testing and crisis readiness. While introducing no new expectations, the draft guidance consolidates and clarifies existing requirements in a single document and is intended to steer banks' work to comply with Principle 7.3 of the SRB's Expectations for Banks. In particular, the guidance further elaborates on governance arrangements for drawing up BRPs, the relevant descriptions of the targeted business model post reorganisation, the criteria for selecting valid reorganisation measures and the approach for demonstrating post bail in long term viability. The deadline for comments is 30 March. The SRB will meet with the banking industry and other relevant stakeholders on 3 March to address any questions, before the consultation ends. Following the consultation, the SRB will publish the final materials together with the feedback received.

The Bank of England (BoE) has announced the launch of three new engagement forums under the Retail Payments Infrastructure Board as part of its National Payments Vision, aimed at informing the development of the UK's next generation retail payments ecosystem. The BoE will shortly invite nominations to join the Payments End User Forum, the Payments Innovation Design Group and the Payments Academic Advisory Group, each of which will provide specialist input from consumers and small businesses, innovators and fintechs, as well as academics respectively. Applicants will be assessed on: (i) relevant expertise in the forum's area (end-user insight, payments innovation or academic research); (ii) ability to make time to participate as set out in the terms of reference; (iii) diversity of perspective; and (iv) alignment with the purpose of the specific forum. The initiative is intended to support a more resilient, inclusive and innovative payments landscape by ensuring that system design is shaped by practical user needs, emerging technological opportunities and evidence‑based policy insights.

The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Providing Targeted Support) (Amendment) Order 2026  has been laid before UK Parliament and published with an explanatory memorandum. The instrument, following the draft version published in July 2025, amends the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (RAO) to introduce a new specified activity of "providing targeted support". This will enable firms to make recommendations that are designed for groups of consumers with similar characteristics and circumstances. Targeted support will be expressly distinguished from the existing regulated activity of "advising on investments" under Article 53. The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said, "These once-in-a-generation reforms will help people navigate their financial lives and give them greater confidence to invest. This is a win-win for consumers and firms alike."

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The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published consultation paper CP26/5 on the evolution of its sustainability disclosure rules for listed companies, following the government's draft UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS). The FCA's current requirements are aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which disbanded in 2023. With over 40% of jurisdictions, including the UK, transitioning to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards, the government is developing the UK SRS to tailor the ISSB framework for the UK market. The FCA therefore needs to update its regime accordingly.

The FCA proposes replacing its TCFD aligned listing rules with requirements for in scope listed companies to report against the UK SRS. The scope would remain broadly aligned with existing TCFD-based obligations and consistent with the ISSB's approach.

Key proposals include:

• Mandatory reporting against UK SRS S2 (covering climate‑related disclosures) but Scope 3 emissions would continue to be reported on a "comply or explain" basis.
• Non‑climate sustainability reporting (UK SRS S1) to be on a "comply or explain" basis, as this will be new for many issuers and may present challenges.

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The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a blog on its AI live testing service. The service is voluntary and open to firms that have developed AI proofs of concept and are active in UK financial markets, subject to competitive selection criteria. The initiative aims to support safe and responsible AI deployment through a collaborative, real-world testing environment and complements the FCA's Supercharged Sandbox. The blog sets out: (i) what the FCA is testing; (ii) how the testing operates in practice; and (iii) what the FCA aims to learn from the process. The first cohort joined in October 2025. The FCA confirms it has opened a second application window and is now inviting applications until 2 March. The FCA has provided Terms of Reference with further detail and confirms that successful applicants will be notified by mid-March. The testing is due to commence from April.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published Handbook Notice No 137, confirming that it is delaying changes to the Collective Investment Schemes Sourcebook (COLL), and specifically to the concentration rule (COLL 5.2.29R). The concentration rule governs the ability of UK undertakings for the collective investment in transferable securities funds to invest in other collective investment schemes. The FCA previously made changes, which came into force on 31 January 2025, which seek to clarify the level at which the restrictions apply (including for sub-funds of umbrella schemes). These changes were subject to a transitional period. The transitional period is now extended to 31 January 2027 from the previous expiry date of 30 January 2026, as provided for by the Collective Investment Schemes Sourcebook (Concentration Limits) Instrument 2026. This instrument entered into force on 29 January and feedback is published in Chapter 3 of the notice.

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/264 amending the regulatory technical standards (RTS) in Delegated Regulations (EU) 2018/1645 and 2018/1646, pursuant to the Benchmark Regulation (EU) 2016/1011, has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ). The Amending Regulation was first adopted on 27 October 2025. These amendments update the form and content of applications for recognition, authorisation and registration of third-party benchmark administrators and those located in the EU. They reflect changes introduced by the BMR recognition regime under Regulation (EU) 2019/2175, including the transfer of responsibility for recognising and supervising third country benchmark administrators from national competent authorities to the European Securities and Markets Authority, as well as further reforms under Regulation (EU) 2025/914 aimed at reducing the regulatory burden on administrators of smaller benchmarks. The amendments to both RTS are consolidated in a single Amending Regulation which enters into force on 19 February.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published its draft single programming document (SPD) for 2027–2029, outlining its strategic priorities and resource needs over the three‑year period. The EBA confirms it will focus on implementing new mandates for banking and payments including its oversight role under the Digital Operational Resilience Act, supervision of significant issuers of asset referenced and e money tokens under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation and validation of initial margin models under the amended European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR 3). The EBA will also focus on addressing emerging risks arising from geopolitical instability. This will require new approaches to risk assessment, financial stability monitoring and consumer protection. Supporting EU co legislators also remains central for the EBA as the SPD reflects the priorities for the financial sector and aims to keep the financial system strong while also ensuring it can fund the European economy.

Against this backdrop, the EBA identifies three strategic priorities for 2027–2029: (i) evolving and simplifying the Single Rulebook for banking and financial services; (ii) carrying out risk assessments to support effective risk analysis, supervision and oversight; and (iii) embracing innovation to enhance technological capacity across the sector. The EBA notes that close cooperation with relevant EU and third-country authorities will be required to meet its objectives.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published a consultation paper proposing updates to existing guidelines (EBA/GL/2020/13) on the use of systemic risk buffers (SyRB) to address climate-related and broader environmental risks under Article 133 of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD), as amended by CRD VI (Directive (EU) 2024/1619). The EBA notes that climate risks, both transition and physical, are expected to have a material impact on individual institutions and the wider financial system. Article 133 permits relevant authorities to apply a SyRB where climate related risks could have serious negative consequences for the financial system and the real economy. The current guidelines, published in 2020, were not designed to target exposures subject to climate risk. The consultation therefore proposes revisions to enable SyRB measures to better capture climate risks of both types. It also incorporates some changes based on lessons learned from national authorities that have previously implemented SyRB measures, with the aim of improving their design and monitoring. The guidelines are expected to be finalised by mid-2026 and are expected to apply six months after publication. The deadline for comments is 30 April.

HM Treasury (HMT) has published a consultation response and blog on proposed reforms to the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation's (OFSI) civil enforcement processes. The reforms aim to increase efficiency in resolving enforcement cases and would apply solely to OFSI's civil enforcement powers concerning financial sanctions breaches, including Russia-related designated person asset reporting. They do not apply to criminal enforcement or non-financial sanctions. Following feedback to its July 2025 consultation, the OFSI confirms it will proceed with all proposals but with the following improvements:

• Additional case assessment guidance, including a new case assessment matrix and a Voluntary Disclosure and Co‑operation discount of up to 30% of the baseline penalty.
• 20% baseline penalty discount for subjects who settle under the new settlement scheme.

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The House of Lords (Financial Services Regulation Committee) has announced the launch of an inquiry into the growth and proposed regulation of stablecoins in the UK. The Committee will examine the development of global and UK stablecoin markets (and its comparison to US and EU markets), expected future growth of sterling‑denominated stablecoins and the opportunities and risks posed to the UK economy, financial services sector, retail consumers and monetary policy. It will also consider the implications of the Bank of England and UK Financial Conduct Authority's proposed regulatory regimes for systemic and non‑systemic stablecoins and whether they are measured and proportionate. A call for evidence, including six questions for written submissions, accompanies the press release. The deadline for responses is 23:59 on 11 March.

The House of Commons Treasury Committee has published a letter (dated 21 January) from Nikhil Rathi, the Chief Executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), responding to the Committee's outstanding questions from the oral evidence session on 16 December 2025. Mr Rathi explains that the FCA is working at pace to deliver the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, including the Leeds Reforms, but that progress in several areas depends on legislation or government action. Mr Rathi notes that the FCA has completed nine initiatives under the strategy and is sequencing its rulemaking to align with expected legislative timetables, progressing in phases where possible.

He sets out the FCA's immediate priorities alongside the wider programme of work expected to progress this year, including associated timelines. Mr Rathi also outlines the FCA's key areas where it is awaiting legislative change or government action before it can advance other priorities.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its first Enforcement Watch newsletter, following the FCA's updated enforcement guide (ENFG) finalised in June 2025. The FCA proceeded with modest changes to its publicity policy, allowing the FCA, in certain circumstances, to publish more detailed information about issues under investigation on an anonymised basis. For more information you may like to read our blog post titled "The end of the road for (most of) the FCA's transparency proposals".

The first edition of the newsletter covers three main themes:

• Updated publicity policy in action – information on the updated powers the FCA can use under the revised policy, including announcing investigations without identifying firms and naming subjects only in "exceptional circumstances".
• Enforcement case priorities – an overview of enforcement operations the FCA opened since June 2025 and listing the areas the investigations covered.
• International partnerships – a reaffirmation of ongoing collaboration with global bodies, including through the International Organisation of Securities Commissions.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published two separate updated webpages:

• The first updated webpage confirms an extension to the application deadline for those wishing to participate in the stablecoin sprint on 4-5 March and the trade payments roundtable on 15 May. Applications must now be submitted by midnight on 8 February. The FCA will continue to notify applicants of the outcome by 13 February.
• The second updated webpage confirms that the application period for firms wishing to undertake the new cryptoasset regulated activities will be open from 30 September until 28 February 2027.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published official translations of its final guidelines under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) specifying the criteria for assessing the knowledge and competence of staff at crypto-asset service providers (CASPs). The guidelines, first published in July 2025, aim to promote greater convergence in the criteria for assessing the knowledge and competence of staff providing advice or information about crypto-assets or related services and their application. It offers key guidance to help CASPs meet their duty to act in their clients' best interests and to support competent authorities in assessing compliance. The guidelines will apply from 28 July. Competent authorities must notify ESMA by 28 March whether they comply or intend to comply with guidelines or, where relevant, provide ESMA with their reasons for non-compliance. CASPs are not required to report on whether they comply.

The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has published a blog confirming that it is working closely with UK law enforcement and regulatory partners to combat the abuse of cryptoassets and associated money laundering activities. OFSI has joined forces with the Crypto Cash Fusion Cell (CCFC), a pilot, multi-agency initiative bringing together the UK National Crime Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, City of London Police and OFSI, to target criminal funds linked to sanctions offences.

Through this collaboration, OFSI shared detailed intelligence with the CCFC to enable joint working against specific, prioritised targets. This led to action against potential breaches of financial sanctions involving cryptoassets by UK-based individuals. OFSI wants the sector to know that the use of cryptoassets to evade sanctions will be treated no differently to the exploitation of traditional currencies.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a statement following its November 2025 update on the bond consolidated tape provider (CTP) contract. It has now signed a contract with Etrading Software (ETS) to act as the UK's bond CTP, following the High Court's decision in December 2025 to lift the freeze on the contract award. A new website launched by ETS outlines key milestones and technical information for data contributors and users. The FCA will continue to support ETS and industry participants ahead of the planned launch of the tape in June, while simultaneously defending the ongoing legal challenge to the contract award.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has announced the launch of its Pillar 3 data hub, a new harmonised digital platform which, for the first time, provides public access to prudential information from all EEA credit institutions in a single location. The hub offers users access to official data alongside a tool to enable comparisons across institutions, reference dates and other dimensions. Bulk data downloads are also available.

The EBA expects the full data set for the first three reference dates (June, September and December 2025) to be available by June this year. In line with transitional arrangements under the final draft implementing technical standards published in February 2025, institutions must now submit, via the platform, the Pillar 3 reports for the 2025 reference date already published on their own websites. The transition period enables institutions to familiarise themselves with the platform and submission process, before moving to the steady state. The EBA has provided a comprehensive user guide covering all features of the Pillar 3 data hub.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Reserve Bank of India to support cooperation and information‑exchange for the recognition of Indian central counterparties (CCPs). The MoU fulfils the requirement under Article 25 of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) for a cooperation arrangement to be in place between ESMA and the relevant third-country authority whose legal and supervisory frameworks have been recognised as equivalent. This is a step towards restoring EU clearing members' access to Indian CCPs since certain CCPs had their recognition decisions withdrawn in 2022. ESMA also confirms that it will continue discussions with the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the International Financial Services Centres Authority with a view to establishing similar cooperation arrangements.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced that the Eurosystem will accept marketable assets issued in central securities depositories (CSDs) that use distributed‑ledger‑technology (DLT) services as eligible collateral for Eurosystem credit operations from 30 March. As with other marketable assets, these DLT‑based instruments must meet the Eurosystem's collateral eligibility criteria and collateral management requirements. This includes settlement through eligible securities settlement systems that comply with the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) and are reachable via TARGET2‑Securities.

These assets will be handled as collateral in the same way as other marketable assets under existing Eurosystem's collateral management practices. The ECB also announced it is launching a workplan to assess whether, and under what conditions, assets issued using DLT and not represented in eligible traditional securities settlement systems, could become eligible as collateral in the future. Using a phased approach, the ECB will consider technological progress, market developments and evolving regulatory developments, including under the Central Securities Depositories Regulation, the DLT Pilot Regime, the Markets in Cryptoassets Regulation and national securities laws in the euro area.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced the launch of "The Mills Review", led by Sheldon Mills, the Executive Director of the FCA, looking at how advanced AI, including generative and agentic systems, could influence consumers, retail financial markets and firms by 2030. Accompanying the press release, the FCA has published a call for input seeking views on four areas: (i) the future evolution of AI technologies, including the development of more autonomous and agentic systems; (ii) the future impact on markets and firms, including the changes to competition and market structure and UK competitiveness; (iii) the impact for consumers, including how consumers will be influenced by AI but also influence financial markets through new expectations; and (iv) how regulators may need to evolve to ensure that retail financial markets continue to work well. While wholesale markets and broader societal markets remain out of scope, any relevant indirect influences to retail financial services will be considered. Feedback will inform recommendations to the FCA Board in the summer, ahead of an external publication. The deadline for comments is 24 February.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published its second-phase report outlining the medium- to long‑term objectives of the Interest Rate Risk in the Banking Book (IRRBB) heatmap, including key recommendations for institutions and supervisors. The report completes the heatmap milestones launched after the scrutiny of the IRRBB standards and builds on the guidance reflected in the first-phase implementation report published in February 2025.

This second-phase report provides analytical findings and recommendations in four priority areas:

• Application of the 5-year cap on the repricing maturity of non-maturity deposits (NMD) – this continues to serve as a harmonising benchmark with limited impact observed so far. Institutions that seek a longer horizon should demonstrate, within their Internal Measurement System (IMS), how such treatment better reflects product characteristics or client behaviour, substantiate it with historical evidence and integrate it into hedging practice, in line with Q&A 2023_6807. Any approved deviation should be disclosed under Pillar 3.

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The European Commission has issued a call for evidence on its forthcoming action plan to combat online fraud committed through the use of technology (whether online or by telephone). The initiative seeks to build on existing frameworks which already establish comprehensive anti-fraud measures, including the Payment Services Directive, the Instant Payments Regulation and the Digital Services Act. The plan aims to reduce the occurrence and impact of online fraud across the EU by reinforcing coordination, enhancing victim support and improving cross-border and multi-stakeholder cooperation. Its primary objective is to establish a more integrated approach to tackling online fraud. This includes strengthening the EU's 'follow-the-money' approach for detecting, tracing and disrupting fraud proceeds that are channelled through payment accounts, e-money and increasingly, crypto-asset transfers, leveraging EU requirements on supplying accompanying information with transfers of funds and certain crypto-assets. The deadline for feedback is 13 February.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has updated its webpage on T+1 settlement to set out actions it expects firms to take this year to update their systems and processes, and test those changes by year-end. This includes implementing and testing changes to operational systems and processes, agreements with third party providers and counterparty arrangements. The FCA also advises firms to implement appropriate automation to increase processing capacity, support quicker settlement and strengthen resilience during periods of high volumes or market stress. In parallel, the T+1 Accelerated Settlement Taskforce has published a final quarterly review of 2025, including updates on readiness and the path ahead in 2026.

The EU Authority for Anti‑Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) has announced a data‑collection exercise expected in March to test and calibrate its risk‑assessment models. These models will inform the 2027 selection of up to 40 entities for AMLA's direct supervision beginning in 2028 and support consistent money laundering risk assessments by supervisors across the EU. The exercise, conducted with national supervisors and the private sector, will involve both financial institutions potentially eligible for direct supervision and a representative sample of entities likely to remain nationally supervised. National supervisors of both groups have been notified by the AMLA of those selected to participate in the exercise. After validating and calibrating the models in full, AMLA will finalise the list of eligible entities for direct supervision. In early 2027, national supervisors will collect data from those entities to inform AMLA's final supervisory selection. AMLA has also published an accompanying explainer on its direct supervision framework, available here.

The European Banking Authority has (EBA) published a final report on draft amendments to regulatory technical standards (RTS) on the content of resolution plans, the assessment of resolvability and the operational functioning of resolution colleges, under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1075, adopted in accordance with the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive. The changes were consulted on in August 2025, following which, the EBA confirms no material changes were made.

• For resolution plans the RTS include a rationalised plan structure aligned with planning process steps and eliminating duplication, and minimum essential information for plan summaries to improve consistency and transparency. Information on MREL is focused on institution-specific adjustments, aligned with the objective of including in the plan only the information that is directly relevant for the institution or group concerned, avoiding the inclusion of common and publicly disclosed MREL policy elements or calculations. The RTS now also requires a clearer set out of the rationale for the choice of the preferred and variant resolution strategies, to improve flexibility of resolution planning and increase optionality. The standards around resolvability assessments are reorganised along seven core dimensions, to promote the consistency and rationalisation of resolution plans. The RTS also specifies that the resolvability assessment should be based on the identified preferred and variant resolution strategies, providing a clear picture of the capacity of the institution or group to support the execution of the preferred and variant resolution strategies.

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The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) has published a second summary compliance report assessing the implementation of recommendation ESRB/2019/18 on the exchange and collection of information for macro-prudential purposes regarding branches of credit institutions having their head office in another member state or in a third country. The recommendation, issued on 26 September 2019, is divided into three parts (A, B and C):

• Recommendation A, addressed to the relevant authorities, concerns cooperation and the exchange of information on a need-to-know basis for macro prudential and financial stability tasks.
• Recommendation B, addressed to the European Commission, focuses on identifying and removing potential obstacles in European Union legislation that may prevent authorities responsible for macro prudential policy or other financial stability tasks from obtaining the information required on branches to carry out their functions.
• Recommendation C, addressed to the European Banking Authority (EBA), concerns the development of guidelines for monitoring the exchange of information.

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The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a second consultation paper (CP26/4) on the application of the FCA handbook for regulated cryptoasset activities. This follows the earlier consultation published in September 2025 (CP25/5) and HM Treasury's draft statutory instrument intended to bring qualifying cryptoasset activities within the scope of the Regulated Activities Order 2001 and under the FCA's remit. The FCA intends to open its authorisation gateway for crypto permissions in September 2026, with the deadline for comments on this consultation being 12 March.

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The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (Commencement No. 12 and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 have been published. The Regulations, which were made on 13 January, use powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (FSMA 2023) to revoke provisions in the UK Capital Requirements Regulation (UK CRR) and related legislation. They also make saving provisions relating to some of the revoked provisions The Regulations continue the process of revoking certain pieces of retained EU law relating to financial services and restating them into UK domestic law, including through regulator-made rules. You may like to read our article "A boost for UK Financial Services" for further information.

Specifically:

• Regulation 2 revokes, on 1 July, certain provisions of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1646 concerning main indices and recognised exchanges for the purposes of the CRR.
• Regulation 3 revokes, on 1 January 2027, further provisions of the CRR on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, and related instruments.
• Regulations 4 and 5 include extensive saving provisions ensuring continuity for firms by preserving permissions granted under revoked CRR provisions, so that from 1 January 2027 they continue to have effect as permissions under section 138BA FSMA 2000 or the equivalent UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) rules. They also include specific rules applying separately to small domestic deposit takers (SDDTs), SDDT consolidation entities and non-SDDT firms.

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The Bank of England, UK Prudential Regulation Authority and UK Financial Conduct Authority have published their 2025 annual CBEST thematic report. CBEST is a threat-led penetration testing assessment framework of cyber resilience, helping regulators, firms and financial market infrastructures (FMIs) identify vulnerabilities and take remedial action. This report summarises insights from recent CBEST assessments conducted across firms and FMIs. While it does not introduce any new or additional regulatory expectations, it articulates gaps, some of them foundational, observed in firms' and FMIs' cyber defences.

Key messages for firms and FMIs to consider include:

• To reduce the likelihood of severe cyberattacks, firms and FMIs should harden operating systems by patching vulnerabilities and securely configuring key applications.
• The impact of unauthorised access to sensitive systems and information can be reduced by strengthening credentials management, enforcing strong passwords, considering the use of multi-factor authentication, preventing or detecting insecure credential storage and through appropriate segmentation of networks.

​​Read more.

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has published its 2025 resolution report outlining global progress in implementing resolution reforms for banks, insurers and financial market infrastructures, and setting priorities to further strengthen global resolution frameworks and crisis preparedness in 2026. The report confirms that foundational resolution frameworks are largely in place and highlights progress of ongoing work to strengthen operational readiness, including the publication of a practices paper on transfer tools, the formation of a task force on bail-in execution and information sharing on funding in resolution. It also provides a summary of results from the resolvability assessments for global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) and central counterparties.

Looking ahead, the FSB plans to conduct a peer review on public sector backstop funding mechanisms, and to publish a practices paper on funding resolution to support operational planning. The FSB is also planning to launch a strategic review of its crisis preparedness activities. In parallel, the FSB has released an updated version of its good practices paper for crisis management groups (CMGs) which was first published in 2021. It identifies good practices that have helped CMGs to enhance their preparedness for the management and resolution of a cross-border financial crisis affecting a G-SIB. The update includes a supplementary note setting out implementation observations following the 2023 bank failures on communication with host authorities not members of a CMG.

The UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has published policy statement PS3/26, setting out the final rules that restate the remaining provisions of the UK Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) within the PRA Rulebook and associated supervisory materials. Specifically, in this policy statement, the PRA confirms that the near‑final rules issued in PS19/25 (following the 2024 consultation paper CP13/24) have been adopted with only minor, non‑substantive amendments. These amendments include updates required to align with the PRA's final Basel 3.1 rules and the replacement of certain CRR definitions, such as probability of default, loss given default and conversion factor, with new PRA Rulebook glossary definitions. The final rules, together with the associated supervisory statements and statements of policy contained within the appendices, will apply from 1 January 2027. This aligns with the implementation date of Basel 3.1 in the UK.

Alongside this policy statement, the PRA also published final policy, rules and supervisory expectations relating to Basel 3.1 implementation, retiring the Pillar 2A refined methodology and the final simplified capital regime for SDDTs.

The UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has published policy statement PS2/26, finalising its decision to retire the "refined methodology" for Pillar 2A. Alongside this policy statement, the PRA also published final policy, rules and supervisory expectations relating to Basel 3.1 implementation (see updates above and below). Specifically, in this policy statement, the PRA confirms that no changes have been made between the near‑final policy issued in PS18/25 and the final policy, and it will proceed with clarifications to its Pillar 2A approaches for interest rate risk in the banking book and pension obligation risk. The PRA reiterates that the refined methodology will cease to apply from 1 January 2027, aligning with the implementation date of UK's Basel 3.1 standards and the introduction of the simplified capital regime for small domestic deposit takers (SDDTs). From 2027, all firms, including SDDTs, will calculate capital requirements under the Basel 3.1 standardised credit risk approach, rendering the refined methodology obsolete. The appendix to this final policy statement includes corresponding amendments to supervisory statement SS31/15 (on the internal capital adequacy assessment process and the supervisory review and evaluation process), which will also apply from 1 January 2027.

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The UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has published a final policy statement PS4/26, finalising the simplified capital regime and additional liquidity simplifications for small domestic deposit takers (SDDTs) and SDDT consolidation entities under the strong and simple framework. The regime for SDDTs, a layer of prudential regulation that will apply to the smallest banks and building societies, has been developed in two phases: Phase 1, which focused on liquidity and disclosure simplifications and was finalised in December 2023; and Phase 2, outlined in the 2025 near-final policy statement and which built on Phase 1 and incorporated feedback from the 2024 consultation.

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The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) have issued a joint prioritisation statement clarifying their enforcement position on the UK Payments Initiative's (UKPI) centralised "access fee" pricing model being developed for commercial variable recurring payments (cVRP). After consulting the Competition Markets Authority (CMA), the regulators confirm that they will not, at this stage, prioritise investigations under Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998 in relation to specific pricing arrangements concerning UKPI's cVRP scheme.

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The UK Treasury Select Committee has published a report on AI in financial services. The report expresses concerns that the Bank of England, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and HM Treasury (HMT) are exposing consumers and the wider financial system to potentially serious harm by maintaining a "wait‑and‑see" approach to AI in financial services. With over 75% of UK financial services firms now using AI, particularly insurers and international banks, the Committee acknowledges the potential benefits to consumers but concludes that regulators are not doing enough to mitigate emerging risks.

The report recommends that: (i) the Bank of England and the FCA undertake AI‑specific stress testing to build firms' readiness for AI-driven market shocks; (ii) the FCA publishes comprehensive practical AI guidance for firms by year‑end covering: (a) how existing consumer protection rules apply to their use of AI and (b) accountability and the level of assurance expected from senior managers under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime for harm caused through the use of AI; and (iii) by year-end, HMT must designate the major AI and cloud providers as critical third parties for the purposes of the Critical Third Parties Regime. The Committee states it is unclear why HMT has been slow to use the new powers at its disposal, noting that the regime was established over a year ago. It further recommends that the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee should monitor the regime's progress and, if needed, use its power of recommendation to HMT to ensure swift implementation.

The European Commission (EC) has published two draft Delegated Regulations (dated 16 October) supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3005, the environmental, social and governance (ESG) Rating Regulation, on the transparency and integrity of ESG rating activities. The first draft Delegated Regulation concerns the supervisory fees to be charged by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to ESG rating providers, setting out the types of fees, the matters for which they are due, the amounts, justifications and payment modalities, as required under Article 42(2) of the ESG Rating Regulation. The second draft Delegated Regulation establishes the procedural framework for ESMA’s imposition of fines and periodic penalty payments on ESG rating providers, specifying rules on rights of defence, conduct of infringement proceedings, access to files by persons to whom a statement of findings has been sent, limitation periods and the collection of fines, pursuant to Article 39(9) of the ESG Rating Regulation. The deadline for feedback on both draft Delegated Regulations is 13 February. The EC expects to adopt both Delegated Regulations during Q1 2026.

The UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has published final policy statement PS1/26 on the implementation of the Basel 3.1 standards in the UK, together with associated supervisory statements, statements of policy and updated disclosure and reporting templates in the relevant appendices. Specifically, in this policy statement, the PRA confirms: (i) its one‑year deferral of Basel 3.1 to 1 January 2027 (with the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book internal model approach deferred to 1 January 2028); and (ii) finalises targeted amendments consulted on in 2025, including changes to the market risk framework, clarifications to credit risk, operational risk and output floor provisions, the replacement of certain Capital Requirement Regulation (CRR) definitions (such as probability of default, loss given default and conversion factor) with new PRA Rulebook glossary definitions and the revocation of residual CRR provisions via HM Treasury commencement regulations. 

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The European Banking Authority (EBA) has announced it has completed the transfer of all anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorist financing (AML/CTF) mandates to the new Authority for Anti‑Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) on 1 January. This transition, part of the EU's broader AML/CTF reform package, ends the EBA's stand‑alone AML/CFT mandate established in 2020 and places AMLA at the centre of a unified European supervisory framework. Key EBA tools and expertise, including the EuReCa database, supervisory insights and risk assessments, have been handed over, with all existing EBA AML/CTF guidelines and standards remaining in force until replaced by AMLA. Under the new regime, AMLA will complete the EU's Single Rulebook, advance supervisory convergence, coordinate the work of financial intelligence units and directly supervise 40 of the most complex financial institutions or groups in the EU. The EBA will continue to address money laundering risk through prudential regulation. The EBA has also published a fact sheet explaining the transition. A formal ESAs–AMLA Memorandum of Understanding was signed in June 2025, which underpins ongoing cooperation and information‑sharing between the authorities.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a letter (dated 19 December 2025) to trade associations outlining next steps towards establishing the Future Entity (FE) that will serve as the UK's long‑term open banking standards‑setting body. The FCA reflects on progress made in 2025, noting industry collaboration on the multilateral agreement for variable recurring payments (VRP), the creation of the transitional multilateral agreement operator and associated governance arrangements, continued development of the VRP commercial model and broader industry preparation for the increased adoption of open banking and VRP services.

Looking ahead, the FCA expects 2026 to be a landmark year, with live transactions flowing through the VRP scheme expected in Q1. It also anticipates that HM Treasury will introduce legislation under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA) granting the FCA new rulemaking powers for open banking. The FCA plans to consult on new rules for the long‑term regulatory framework enabled by these powers. In parallel, the FCA expects industry to establish a body capable of becoming the FE, which it wants to be the UK's primary standards setting body for application programming interfaces (APIs). Subject to legislation, the FCA expects to use its powers under the DUAA to support this objective.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority and the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority have published a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 29 December 2025. The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation and information sharing in the supervision of credit rating agencies (CRAs) operating across both jurisdictions. While non binding in nature, it sets out principles for mutual assistance, including cooperation on registration and certification processes, ongoing supervision, enforcement actions, cross border on site inspections and the handling of emergency situations. It creates mechanisms for exchanging both solicited and unsolicited information, subject to confidentiality and data protection safeguards. It also outlines procedures for managing outsourced functions and maintaining professional secrecy. Both authorities commit to periodically reviewing the MoU and may amend or terminate it with appropriate notice.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced the launch of a two-day stablecoin tech-sprint. The sprint, taking place on 4-5 March, will explore the use cases for stablecoins in domestic and international payments, covering retail and wholesale applications. A separate, smaller roundtable will take place on 15 May, focusing on use cases for stablecoins in trade payments, identifying risks, opportunities and where regulation would be beneficial. Follow-up roundtables are expected throughout 2026. Outputs from the sprint are expected to provide actionable insights to directly inform future FCA policy decisions on potential stablecoin payment regulation in the UK. The FCA invites participation from fintechs, payment institutions (including EMIs and acquirers), banks, technology providers, corporates, issuers, consultants and representative groups. A participation pack has been made available with more information on the format of the event and the problem statements the FCA expects to tackle. Applications are due by midnight on 4 February. The FCA will notify applicants by 13 February if they have secured a place at the sprint and/or roundtable.

The European Commission (EC) has launched two consultations on reforming the rules for venture and growth capital funds. The consultations seeks to explore potential changes to the regulatory framework applying to such funds to support their development across the EU single market. This follows the identification of issues related to market fragmentation and unnecessary regulation.

The targeted consultation requests input from key stakeholders such as fund managers, institutional investors, public authorities and supervisors. It seeks insight into the barriers faced by managers and considers how the European Venture Capital Fund (EuVECA), European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (EuSEF) and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMD) regimes could be changed to facilitate the development of such funds. In particular, the consultation includes specific questions on the calibration of thresholds under the EuVECA and AIFMD regimes, which trigger certain requirements, and the practical functioning of the EuVECA and EuSEF regimes.

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The UK Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) has published Dear CEO letters setting out its 2026 supervisory priorities for UK deposit takers and international banks and designated investment firms. Across both letters, the PRA highlights its continued focus and expectations across risk management, operational resilience, financial resilience and data governance. It states that these priorities should be considered alongside firm-specific feedback provided though a firm's recent periodic summary meeting (PSM). It also announced plans to move certain supervisory activity, including PSMs, to a two-year cycle. The letters explain that a firm's supervisory contact will provide details in due course of what this means for the timing of the firm's next PSM.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has published its staff contribution to the European Commission's (EC) targeted consultation on the application of the market risk prudential framework (FRTB). The ECB welcomes the proposal to have the FRTB enter into force in the EU on 1 January 2027. It argues that further delaying the implementation of the FRTB would come with clear costs from a risk management and operational perspective. The ECB favours the three-year period of stability in the applicable market risk framework proposed by the EC. With respect to the temporary measures proposed for the delegated act, the ECB believes there is room to make these proposed amendments more risk-based and sound without adversely affecting the EC's objective of maintaining a level playing field with other jurisdictions. Regarding internal model-related requirements, the ECB agrees with using the Profit and Loss Attribution Test (PLAT) as a monitoring tool only, on the understanding that banks work on remediation in the event of highly concerning results. It considers the measures regarding the Risk Factor Eligibility Test (RFET) could be too far-reaching in their current form and would prefer this relief measure be limited to new risk factors. Equally, with regard to collective investment undertakings (CIUs), the ECB continues to consider that the proposal allowing banks to carry out the look-through on a quarterly basis for material exposures under both FRTB-AIMA and FRTB-ASA, rather than on a weekly basis as currently foreseen in the Capital Requirements Regulation, would not be sufficient to adequately capture the underlying risks of CIU exposures.

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The Financial Markets Standards Board has published its 2026 workplan. The workplan covers a wide range of areas in relation to wholesale financial markets, and in 2026 the Board sets out the following focus topics:

• In relation to market practices, work is being progressed on pre-hedging, grey market trading, market quotation mechanisms, conduct risks around risk management transactions for new issuances, and price discovery.
• In relation to electronic trading and technology, the relevant committee will be looking at market-facing applications of AI and potentially the application of model risk management frameworks to electronic trading algorithms.

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The European Supervisory Authorities (comprising the European Securities and Markets Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the European Banking Authority) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bank of England (BoE), the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The MoU seeks to strengthen cross-border oversight of critical third parties (CTPs) and critical ICT third-party service providers (CTPPs) under the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), including during incidents such as power outages or cyber-attacks. It sets out cooperation principles and procedures, information‑sharing arrangements and coordination of oversight activities between EU and UK regulators. To enable information sharing with a third country authority, the ESAs must first verify that the third country's confidentiality and professional secrecy regime is equivalent to that under EU law. Accordingly, prior to signing the MoU, the ESAs carried out an assessment confirming that the UK's regime meets the standards set out in DORA. Separate statements from the FCA and BoE announcing the signed MoU were published on the same day.