The European Commission has published a Communication detailing the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan that will support the European Green Deal Investment Plan. The Communication is accompanied by a proposed Regulation to establish a Just Transition Fund and a Factsheet explaining the Plan. Feedback on the proposed Regulation can be submitted until March 12, 2020.

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The European Banking Authority has launched a consultation on its draft regulatory technical standards specifying how institutions should calculate their own funds requirements for market risk in respect of non-trading book positions that are subject to foreign-exchange risk or commodity risk. The draft RTS have been published for consultation in accordance with the revised Capital Requirements Regulation, which came into force on June 7, 2019 and (subject to certain exceptions) will apply directly across the EU from June 28, 2021. Responses to the consultation should be submitted by April 10, 2020. The EBA is expected to consult in 2020 on other technical standards to supplement CRR II and has published a roadmap providing the due dates for its deliverables.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published a report on its review of how firms in the asset management sector selected and used risk modelling and other portfolio management tools. The review was undertaken to assess how firms identify and manage the risks as well as firms' ability to respond to system failures or service interruptions.

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The European Banking Authority has published a report on big data and advanced analytics in the banking sector. The report sets out the findings of the EBA's review of big data and analytics and presents key pillars and elements of trust for the development, implementation and adoption of BD&AA by banks.

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The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has published a set of Frequently Asked Questions on Interbank Offered Rate Fallback Rate adjustments. The FAQs are part of ISDA's preparations for the sweeping changes being made to global interest rate benchmarks, which may see a transition from IBORs to overnight risk free rates. Parties to derivatives contracts that currently reference IBORs are being encouraged to include contractual fallback provisions providing for adjusted RFRs that could replace IBORs if they are discontinued before a contract is concluded. RFRs are structurally different to IBORs, hence why the RFRs must be adjusted in order to be incorporated into contracts that currently reference IBORs.

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The European Systemic Risk Board has published a report on mitigating the procyclicality of margins and haircuts in derivatives markets and securities financing transactions. The report assesses the systemic risks arising from procyclicality associated with margin and haircut practices and makes recommendations for addressing the risks. 

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published its Strategic Orientation for 2020-2022, setting out its longer-term objectives for regulating financial markets. The previous Strategic Orientation covered the period from 2016-2020 and so is coming to an end this year. Looking forward, ESMA aims to:

• develop the EU Capital Markets Union by encouraging wider retail investor participation, which would assist with the diversification of funding sources and efficiency of capital markets;
• promote sustainable finance and long-term oriented capital markets as part of the EU's commitment to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030;
• examine the opportunities and risks of digitalization and technology for market participants and regulators;
• guarantee the EU's voice in financial markets, aiming to maintain the openness of EU financial markets and develop EU co-operation with third-country authorities to ensure investor protection and financial stability; and
• encourage proportionality, particularly with respect to SMEs and innovative companies, where ESMA may need to tailor its initiatives to meet its objectives.

View ESMA 2020-2022 Strategic Orientation.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a final report on the 2018 survey it conducted on central counterparties' membership criteria and due diligence practices, together with an update to its Q&As providing guidance on the correct implementation of the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation. The survey was prompted by the default in September 2018 of an individual who was acting as a clearing member of Nasdaq Clearing AB. This triggered ESMA's investigation into CCPs' membership and due diligence practices and their compliance with participation requirements under EMIR and the joint Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures issued by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

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The Bank of England and U.K. Financial Conduct Authority have published a series of proposals setting out their plans to enhance their data and analytics capabilities. The proposals include a revised FCA data strategy, a BoE discussion paper on transforming data collection and a viability report published by the FCA and BoE, together with seven regulated firms, on the possibilities of digital regulatory reporting. The FCA and BoE depend on data to conduct their supervisory responsibilities.  

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a working paper setting out its findings on the market impacts of “circuit breakers”, instruments used by trading venues to interrupt excessive price movements in financial instruments. The revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive places obligations on national regulators to require a regulated market in their jurisdiction to be able to temporarily halt or constrain trading if there is significant price movement in a financial instrument on that market during a short period and, in exceptional cases, to be able to cancel, vary or correct any transaction. 

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The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has published a guide on the cross-border application of margin rules established under the U.S., EU and Japanese regimes for uncleared derivatives. While most jurisdictions base their margin rules on the framework established by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Organization of Securities Commissions, there is still scope for differences to arise under national regimes. The guide provides an overview of the margin rules in each of the three jurisdictions, focussing on the cross-border and substituted compliance elements. It also includes a series of charts showing the application and availability of substituted compliance under each regime.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a final report and guidelines on reporting under the Securities Financing Transaction Regulations, together with amended SFTR validation rules and a statement on Legal Entity Identifiers. The SFTR requires all securities financing transactions to be reported to EU-recognized trade repositories. SFTs involve the use of securities to borrow cash or other high investment-grade securities and include repurchase transactions, securities lending and sell/buy backs.

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An EU Regulation has been published amending the European Supervisory Authorities' powers under various pieces of EU legislation. The Regulation grants ESMA additional powers to monitor market data and authorize benchmark administrators under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation and the Benchmarks Regulation, respectively. It also amends the legislation founding the European Banking Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority, granting them additional powers to facilitate their supervisory duties. The Regulation will enter into force on December 30, 2019. The provisions regarding ESMA's enhanced supervisory powers over market data and benchmarks will apply from January 1, 2022. All other provisions regarding the European Supervisory Authorities' enhanced powers will apply from January 1, 2020.

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The European Supervisory Authorities have published joint draft Regulatory Technical Standards amending the existing EU risk mitigation techniques for uncleared OTC derivatives, together with a joint statement on the introduction of fallbacks in OTC derivative contracts and the requirement to exchange collateral. The draft RTS amend existing bilateral margin requirements made under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation, in line with certain clarifications made to the related international framework by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Organization of Securities Commissions. The draft RTS were originally published on December 5, 2019, but have been republished with one additional amendment. The Final Report has been submitted to the European Commission for endorsement.

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An amended temporary equivalence decision on the regulatory framework applicable to central counterparties in the U.K. and Northern Ireland has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The decision amends the existing EU equivalence decision, which applies from the date that the U.K. leaves the EU in the event that no withdrawal agreement has been agreed, and ends on March 30, 2020. The amended decision extends the period of equivalence to one year following a U.K. no-deal exit from the EU and will apply from December 24, 2019. It would not apply in the event that the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified by both sides.

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The European Parliament has published a resolution on relationships between the EU and third countries concerning financial services regulation and supervision. The resolution follows the publication of a report in August 2018 by the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs setting out its proposal for the European Parliament’s resolution, which comes in the wake of the U.K.’s upcoming exit from the EU. The key factors prompting the resolution include the need to mitigate risks to financial stability arising from a possible no-deal Brexit, the need for clarification of the relationship between third-country markets and the EU’s single market in the interests of broader financial stability and the fact that existing third-country equivalence rules are not currently subject to a single framework.

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The EU Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance has published a Handbook providing guidance on the EU’s new climate transition benchmarks (EU CTB) and Paris-aligned benchmarks (EU PAB), as well as on the environmental, social and governance disclosures that will be applicable to all investment benchmarks (other than currency and interest rate benchmarks) in the future. Conventional benchmarks do not typically reflect low-carbon considerations, but an increasing focus on sustainability has led to a proliferation in recent years of specific low-carbon benchmarks that were not subject to clear or comparable standards.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a follow-up report on its 2018 Thematic Report on the fees charged by credit rating agencies and trade repositories. ESMA directly supervises all CRAs and trade repositories that are established in the EU. The 2018 Thematic Report highlighted three key areas of concern in the fee charging practices of CRAs and trade repositories, namely: (i) transparency and disclosure to clients and ESMA of fees; (ii) the process of setting fees; and (iii) how interactions with other group entities may pose challenges to the principles of non-discrimination and cost-related fees to which credit rating agencies and trade repositories are expected to adhere.

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The U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, has announced the appointment of Andrew Bailey as the new Governor of the Bank of England. 

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The Financial Stability Board has published a statement summarizing the feedback it received to its June 2019 consultation on firms’ public disclosures on resolution planning and resolvability. The consultation sought feedback on a series of questions regarding general and firm-specific disclosures made by systemically important banks and other firms subject to resolution planning requirements.

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The Financial Stability Board has published a statement summarizing the feedback it received to its June 2019 consultation on the solvent wind-down of derivatives and trading portfolios. The consultation sought feedback on a series of questions regarding existing wind-down practices that may be used as a recovery option for global systemically important institutions that find themselves under stress. The FSB intended to consider publishing guidance on solvent wind-down planning depending on the responses elicited by the consultation.

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The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019 have been published, amending the existing Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017. The amending Regulations incorporate changes made to EU legislation under the EU’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The majority of the amending Regulations provisions will come into force on January 10, 2020, with the exception of those governing: (i) customer due diligence on anonymous prepaid cards; and (ii) requests for information about accounts and safe-deposit boxes, which will come into force on July 10, 2020 and September 10, 2020 respectively.

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The EU legislative bodies have announced that political agreement has been reached on the proposed Regulation on European Crowdfunding Service Providers for Business. The proposed ECSP Regulation is part of the EU Capital Markets Union initiative and the Commission's FinTech Action Plan. It aims to increase access to finance through crowdfunding for innovative companies, start-ups and SMEs. The European Commission published the original legislative proposal on March 8, 2018. Since then, the text of the proposed ECSP Regulation has been amended.

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The Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates has opened a consultation on credit adjustment spread methodologies for fallbacks in cash products referencing GBP LIBOR. The consultation focuses on cash products, including, but not limited to, syndicated loans, floating rate notes, retail loans, bilateral corporate loans and securitizations.  It only covers GBP LIBOR and credit adjustment spreads to be applied to a SONIA-derived rate. Responses to the consultation can be submitted until February 6, 2020.

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The Financial Stability Board has published a report on the vulnerabilities associated with leveraged loans and collateralized loan obligations. In the report, the FSB assesses how the leveraged loan and CLO markets have developed and analyzes the potential implications for global financial stability.

Noting that there are data gaps, the FSB makes the following conclusions:

• there are indications that weaknesses in the leveraged loan and CLO markets have increased since the 2008-09 global financial crisis;
• banks have the largest direct exposures to leveraged loans and CLOs. These exposures are concentrated among a limited number of large global banks and have a significant cross-border dimension; and
• non-bank investors, such as investment funds, insurance companies, pension funds, broker-dealers and holding companies, also have exposures to leveraged loans and CLOs.

The FSB intends to consider whether there is scope to close data gaps, but will continue to analyze the financial stability risks and will examine the regulatory and supervisory implications related to leveraged loans and CLOs.

View the report.

The European Banking Authority has launched a consultation on its draft Regulatory Technical Standards setting out the criteria for identifying staff whose professional activities have a material impact on credit institutions’ risk profiles. The EBA is required to produce the RTS under the revised Capital Requirements Directive (CRD V), in support of the CRD requirement that remuneration policies for staff whose professional activities have a material impact on the credit institution’s risk profile are appropriate to the size, nature and complexity of the credit institution in question. 

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The European Commission has launched two consultations on digitalization in the financial sector. They form part of the EU’s new Digital Finance Strategy which aims to deepen the Single Market for digital financial services, promote a data-driven EU financial sector while addressing the risks inherent in that and enhance the digital operational resilience of the financial system. 

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The European Banking Authority has published final draft Regulatory Technical Standards governing the standardized approach to counterparty credit risk in derivatives transactions. The final draft SA-CCR RTS will supplement the requirements set out in the EU's Capital Requirements Regulation, as amended by CRR 2. The SA-CCR requirements aim to address the shortcomings of existing calculation methods to ensure parties are adequately protected in the event of default by a counterparty to a derivatives transaction and these final draft RTS aim to ensure a more harmonized calculation of own funds requirements for counterparty credit risk than has been the case under CRR.

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The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has launched a consultation in which it proposes to amend its standard documentation to implement fallbacks based on alternative risk-free rates for certain key Interbank Offered Rates - EUR LIBOR and EURIBOR. ISDA states that the back-ups will apply if the relevant IBOR is permanently discontinued, based on defined triggers. Responses to the consultation should be submitted to ISDA by January 21, 2020.
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The Prudential Regulation Authority has published a letter addressed to the Chair of the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates. The letter responds to the Working Group's letter in October 2019 requesting regulatory forbearance or clarification from regulators on the impact that the LIBOR transition is likely to have on the prudential requirements for banks. The main issues raised by the Working Group include: (i) the potential for certain capital instruments to no longer qualify as regulatory capital; (ii) the potential for securitizations and MREL-eligible instruments to be considered as "new contracts" as a result of changes to contractual terms, leading to the need to insert bail-in or other bank recovery contractual terms; and (iii) that many banks will need to obtain regulatory approvals for alterations to the models used to determine their regulatory capital arising from their exposures and risks.

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The Financial Stability Board has published a progress report on reforms to major interest rate benchmarks. The report provides the FSB's annual update on progress taken by the official sector and market participants to move from interbank offered rates to overnight risk-free rates by the end of 2021 in line with the FSB's 2014 recommendations. The FSB highlights that the continued reliance by global financial markets on LIBOR poses significant financial stability risks and urges all participants to continue with their efforts to transition to the alternative risk-free rates. The FSB also warns regulated firms to expect increased examination from regulators of their efforts to transition as the end of 2021 approaches.

View the report.

The European Supervisory Authorities have each published advice to the European Commission on undue short-term pressure from the financial sector on corporations. The ESAs comprise the European Banking Authority, the European Securities and Markets Authority and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. The ESAs' advice responds to the European Commission's request in June 2019 for evidence and possible advice on potential undue short-term pressure by financial service participants on corporations. The Commission asked the ESAs to: (i) provide evidence of any short-termism and, if any, the consequences thereof; (ii) assess the drivers of such short-termism, including the effects of regulation on financial market participants, for example, the guidance on remuneration practices; (iii) identify existing regulations that either mitigate or exacerbate short-term pressures; and (iv) evaluate the need for regulatory or policy action and propose specific areas where action is needed. The ESAs' advice, summarized below, may result in the Commission proposing amendments to several pieces of EU legislation, such as the Capital Requirements Directive and related Regulation, the Markets in Financial Instruments package and the Non-Financial Reporting Directive.

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The Bank of England has published a discussion paper seeking feedback on its proposals for a series of 2021 stress-tests on climate-related risks for the largest banks, insurers and the financial system. The stress tests will help to quantify potential climate change risks faced by the financial system and enable market participants and oversight bodies like the BoE to develop measures to prepare for those risks. Responses to the consultation should be submitted by March 18, 2020. The final stress testing framework will be published in the second half of 2020 with the results of the exercise published in 2021.

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A new Regulation and Directive amending certain provisions of the Capital Requirements Regulation on covered bonds and introducing standards on the issuance of covered bonds and covered bond public supervision has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Regulation and Directive will both enter into force on January 7, 2020. The Regulation will apply directly in all Member States from July 8, 2022, while Member States must publish national legislation implementing the Directive by July 8, 2021 and must apply that legislation from July 8, 2022.

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The U.K. Prudential Regulatory Authority has published a Policy Statement, revised reporting rules and a revised Supervisory Statement on the PRA's approach to supervising liquidity and funding risks (SS 25/15).

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The Financial Stability Board has published its work program for 2020. The FSB confirms that it will continue to monitor developments to identify and manage new and emerging risks, work to finalize the outstanding components of the post-crisis reforms and assess the implementation of reforms as well as their effects. Key areas of focus will be:

• LIBOR transition: the FSB will monitor implementation of the benchmark reforms and report on outstanding issues.
• Global stablecoins: the FSB will launch a consultation on global stablecoins in April 2020.
• Global payment systems: the FSB will work with other international bodies to develop and deliver a roadmap for using digital innovations to improve global cross-border payments.
• FinTech: the FSB will report on the perspective of emerging market and developing economies.

View the FSB work program for 2020.

The Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England has published its latest financial stability report. The report sets out the FPC's view of the resilience of the U.K. financial system and the main risks to the U.K.'s financial stability as well as the work being carried out to address those risks. The FPC states that the 2019 annual cyclical scenario stress test indicates that the U.K. banking system would be resilient to deep simultaneous U.K. and global recessions. Furthermore, the U.K. financial system is resilient to and prepared for any disruptions that may arise from a disorderly Brexit.

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The International Organization of Securities Commissions has launched a consultation on methods of addressing potential conflicts of interest and other conduct risks that arise from market intermediaries’ participation in the debt capital raising process. Responses should be submitted by February 16, 2020.

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The European Banking Authority, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and European Securities and Markets Authority (collectively known as the European Supervisory Authorities) have published joint guidelines aimed at enhancing cooperation between national regulators in combating anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing. The EU Fourth Money Laundering Directive requires national regulators to cooperate in their AML/CTF supervision of entities that operate on a cross-border basis. 

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a list of the entities that are awaiting their national regulator’s approval for authorization and registration as EU benchmark administrators. Under the EU Benchmark Regulation, existing EU and third country benchmark administrators are entitled to apply for authorization to continue as administrators.

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The EU Expert Group on Regulatory Obstacles to Financial Innovation (or ROFIEG) has published a set of Recommendations and a Q&A on the establishment of an accommodative framework for FinTech in the EU. The ROFIEG was established by the European Commission in 2018 to provide expertise on technology in the financial services sector and, in particular, to review the EU’s legal and regulatory FinTech framework.

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The International Organization of Securities Commissions has published a framework designed to facilitate regulators’ monitoring of leverage in investment funds, assisting regulators in identifying potential risks to financial stability.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published an annual report to the European Commission on the application of accepted market practices under the Market Abuse Regulation. The Market Abuse Regulation provides certain prohibitions against market manipulation. Accepted market practices, which are established by national regulators and notified to ESMA, provide a defense against any allegations of market manipulation.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has launched a consultation on proposed procedural rules for penalties imposed on third-country CCPs, trade repositories and credit rating agencies. Responses are invited by January 18, 2020. ESMA intends to finalize its technical advice by the end of Q1 2020.

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A new Regulation amending the European Market Infrastructure Regulation has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, introducing changes to the procedures and authorities involved in the authorization of central counterparties and the requirements for the recognition of third-country CCPs. The Regulation, known as “EMIR 2.2”, is part of the EU’s push to enhance the regulation of CCPs amid concerns regarding potential CCP failures given their increasing systemic importance. 

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published its final report on the compliance of Member States with suspicious transaction and order reports under the Market Abuse Regulation, in which it sets out the results of its peer review into certain aspects of the STOR framework. Experts from national regulators and ESMA were appointed to conduct the review and issued a self-assessment questionnaire to all 31 EEA national regulators, as well as conducting on-site visits to six national regulators.

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The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has published a discussion paper seeking the views of stakeholders on the prudential regulatory treatment of crypto-assets. The paper is relevant for academics, banks, central banks, finance ministries, market participants, payment system operators and providers, supervisory authorities and technology companies. Responses should be submitted by March 13, 2020.

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The European Securities and Markets Authority has published its second annual report on the sanctions imposed in 2018 under the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities Directive. The UCITS Directive requires national regulators to inform ESMA annually of information relating to all penalties and measures they have imposed under the Directive during the previous calendar year, which ESMA then compiles in a single annual report. 

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The Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures has published a report on wholesale digital tokens. The report focuses on how digital tokens might be used to effect settlement in wholesale transactions, replacing existing systems where such transactions are settled by updating balances in account records on a centralized register. The CPMI confirms that any wholesale digital token arrangement would need to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements, including, if the arrangement is systemically important, the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructure.

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A new Regulation amending the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, Market Abuse Regulation and Prospectus Regulation has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, introducing changes to support small- and medium-sized enterprise growth markets as trading venues. 

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