The European Securities and Markets Authority has released a statement confirming that, during the Brexit implementation or transitional period, the reporting and notification requirements for U.K. firms under EU legislation, such as the Markets in Financial Instruments package and the European Market Infrastructure Regulation, will continue to apply. In addition, ESMA will continue directly to supervise U.K. established credit rating agencies, trade repositories and securitization repositories until January 1, 2021. Under the EU-U.K. Withdrawal Act, the U.K. will leave the EU on January 31, 2020. However, EU laws will continue to apply in the U.K. until the end of the implementation period that will run from February 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

View ESMA's statement.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has published a press release on the consequences for it of the U.K.'s withdrawal from the EU on January 31, 2020. The announcement confirms that U.K. judges will no longer serve the Court of Justice and of the General Court. The statement also confirms that the Court of Justice will continue to have jurisdiction in proceedings brought by or against the U.K. until the end of the implementation period (December 31, 2020). The Court will also have jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings on requests from U.K. courts that are made before the end of the implementation period.

View the press release.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has published a letter it addressed to the European Commission about the technical advice that the Commission requested from ESMA on the general equivalence criteria to guide future equivalence assessments for prospectuses prepared under the laws of third countries. The Prospectus Regulation allows national regulators of EU member states to approve a prospectus for an offer of securities to the EU public or for admission to trading on an EU exchange, prepared in accordance with the laws of a third country, provided the disclosure laws of the third country are equivalent to those of the Prospectus Regulation. The Commission is empowered to adopt legislation setting out general equivalence criteria and may also adopt a decision determining that the laws of a specific third country are equivalent.

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The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has announced that during the Brexit implementation period, all existing regulatory reporting will continue under the EU regime. The FCA's announcement follows the adoption by the Council of the European Union of the Withdrawal Agreement on the same day, which means that the U.K. will leave the EU on January 31, 2020. Although the U.K. will have left the EU, EU law will apply in the U.K. until the transitional or implementation period ends on December 31, 2020. The FCA confirmed that EEA firms wanting to enter the Temporary Permissions Regime or fund managers wanting to continue to market funds in the U.K. under the Temporary Marketing Permissions Regime had until the end of the day on January 30, 2020 to notify the FCA.

View the FCA's announcement.

The Chair of the Markets Committee of the Bank for International Settlements has written to the Chair of the Global Foreign Exchange Committee providing a brief assessment of the effectiveness of the FX Global Code. The FX Global Code was first published by the GFXC in May 2017. It superseded and substantively updated existing guidance for participants in FX markets previously provided by the Non-Investment Products (NIPs) Code. The Code comprises a set of global principles of good practice for the FX market, covering a broad range of areas, including ethics, governance, execution, information-sharing, risk management, compliance, trade confirmation and settlement. The Global FX Committee committed to reviewing the code every three years.

In the letter, the BIS Markets Committee sets out its assessment of and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the FX Global Code. In particular, the Committee recommends that additional action is taken by the Global FX Committee to ensure that more of the large buy-side firms sign up to the Code.

View the letter.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published a series of updates to the FCA Handbook relating to the U.K.’s exit from the EU on January 31, 2020.

Read more.

Following the signature of the EU-U.K. Withdrawal Agreement on January 24, 2020, the European Central Bank has issued a statement expressing its regret that the U.K. is leaving the EU but stating its intention to ensure that Brexit causes the minimum disruption possible.

Read more.

The International Organization of Securities Commissions has published its annual work program, setting out its priorities for 2020. IOSCO will continue to focus on the five areas identified by its Board in 2019 as well as one new issue. The areas of focus are:

• Crypto-assets: following its consultation last year, in February 2020, IOSCO will publish a final report on issues, risks and regulatory considerations relating to crypto-asset trading platforms. IOSCO will also publish the outcome of its review of the regulatory risks relating to investment funds exposures to crypto-assets. Finally, a report will be issued in early 2020 on issues relating to Global Stablecoins.

Read more.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has announced an EU-wide common supervisory action on liquidity risk management by managers of Undertakings for the Collective Investment in Transferable Securities will be undertaken in 2020. This would appear to be a response to the Woodford scandal. The EU UCITS Regulation requires UCITS managers to manage a UCITS liquidity risk to ensure, among other things, that investors can redeem their investments on demand. National regulators of EU member states are going to simultaneously assess compliance with the requirements by market participants established in their jurisdictions. The knowledge and experience of the national regulators will be shared through ESMA to enhance the convergence of supervisory practices.

View ESMA's announcement.

The Council of the European Union has adopted a decision to conclude the EU-U.K. Withdrawal Agreement. The European Parliament consented to the Agreement on January 29, 2020.

The Withdrawal Agreement will enter into force when the U.K. leaves the EU on January 31, 2020 (midnight CET / 11 p.m. GMT). Although the U.K. will have left the EU, it will still apply EU laws until December 31, 2020, which is the agreed transitional or implementation period under the Agreement.

View the Council's press release.

The European Commission is seeking feedback on a roadmap for its proposed changes to the Non-Financial Reporting Directive. The Directive specifies the non-financial information (e.g., regarding the environment, social issues and bribery and corruption) that large listed companies, banks and insurance companies must report on annually. The Commission has committed to review the Directive in order to strengthen firms’ reporting in this area, particularly with respect to the adequacy of reporting on sustainable investment. Policy options include: (i) revising the existing non-binding guidelines on reporting under the Directive; (ii) endorsing existing or future voluntary standards on non-financial reporting; and (iii) revising and strengthening the provisions of the Directive itself. Feedback on the roadmap should be submitted by February 27, 2020. The Commission intends to launch a further consultation on the possible revision of the Directive in Q1 2020.

View the Commission's roadmap on revision of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive.

A Commission Implementing Regulation amending existing Implementing Technical Standards under the Capital Requirements Regulation has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The ITS specify the stock indices that are sufficiently diversified to be counted as individual equities, without requiring market participants to take account of their specific risk under CRR for any stock index future placed on them. The amendments to the ITS update the stock indices listed in light of the latest available data. The ITS will apply directly across Member States from February 19, 2020.

View the amending Commission Implementing Regulation.  

The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2020 have been published by the U.K. Government. The Commencement Regulations establish “exit day” (January 31, 2020), as the day upon which certain provisions of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 will come into force, including provisions that give domestic legal effect to the Withdrawal Agreement and EEA EFTA separation agreement and those providing for the retention of existing grounds for deportation of relevant persons. 

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The European Commission has published its 2020 Work Programme, setting out the EU’s strategic priorities for the next 12 months.

Read more.

The Financial Services (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2020 have been published by the U.K. Government. The Regulations delay the application of various financial services temporary permissions and transitional regimes until the end of the implementation or transitional period (December 31, 2020) which was established under the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020. The Regulations come into force immediately before exit day, which is due to occur on January 31, 2020.

Read more.

The U.K. Payment Systems Regulator has published a Call for Input on competition and innovation in the U.K.'s New Payments Architecture. Feedback was originally requested by March 24, 2020, but in light of COVID-19 that deadline has been extended to May 1, 2020. The PSR confirms that it will consult further on this issue, including on a draft policy statement. All of the feedback will assist the PSR to develop the NPA regulatory policy, the final version of which will be published before the end of 2020. The NPA will reorganize the clearing and settlement of most of the U.K.'s domestic interbank payments, including payments that currently use the BACS and Faster Payments systems. The consultation paper sets out certain potential harms to competition and innovation and possible mitigating measures to address these.

View the call for input.

HM Treasury has published a letter addressed to the Chair of the European Union Committee of the House of Lords concerning equivalence for financial services as a result of Brexit. In the letter, HM Treasury confirms that the priority for the U.K. Government is to obtain equivalence from the EU (and grant the same to the EU for U.K. purposes) by June 30, 2020 across all areas of the financial services sector where the EU framework currently provides for equivalence. There are just over 40 areas within the existing EU equivalence framework. This is in line with the EU-U.K. Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement is subject to approval by the EU on January 29, 2020. The U.K. legislation to implement the Withdrawal Agreement, the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, received Royal Assent on January 23, 2020.

HM Treasury also confirms that discussions have already been held with countries outside the EU regarding the U.K.'s equivalence framework and states that the U.K. could grant equivalence even where there is no EU equivalence, confirming the U.K.'s sovereign rights following Brexit.

View the letter.

You may like to view our client note: "The EU-UK Future Relationship: EU Announces its Timetable For Cross-Border Equivalence in Financial Services", dated January 15, 2020.

HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs have launched a consultation on the implementation of rules governing the registration of trusts under the EU Fifth Anti Money Laundering Directive. Responses to the consultation should be submitted by February 21, 2020.

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The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 has received Royal Assent and has been published by the U.K. Government. The EUWA Act 2020 implements the revised Withdrawal Agreement agreed between the EU and the U.K. last October and provides for that Agreement to have direct legal effect in the U.K. Subject to final EU sign-off, the U.K. is scheduled to leave the EU with this deal on January 31, 2020.

Read more.

Christopher Woolard has been appointed Interim Chief Executive of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority from March 16, 2020. Mr. Woolard is currently the Executive Director of Strategy and Competition and an Executive member of the FCA's Board. He will take on the role when the current FCA Chief Executive Andrew Bailey becomes Governor of the Bank of England. HM Treasury will be running an open process for the role of permanent CEO in due course.

View the announcement.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has written to the CEOs of benchmark administrators that it supervises. In the letter, the FCA sets out its supervisory strategy as well as the potential harms that benchmark administrators pose to their customers and to the financial markets. The FCA is asking all benchmark administrators to consider the harm that their firm may present and to consider how those could be mitigated. The FCA intends to focus over the next two years on the following areas to ensure that its supervision of benchmark administrators mitigates the identified risks:

• Quality of standards: the quality of an administrator's governance and controls, the information provided in their Benchmark Statement, their recalculation and cessation policies, their outsourcing arrangements and their approach to operational resilience; and
• Excessive fees and costs: the FCA is concerned that competition may not be working well in the provision of benchmarks following the feedback received to its Wholesale Sector Competition Review and Asset Management Market Study. The FCA intends to carry out a Call for Input on access to data in wholesale markets so that it can gain a better understanding of the issues and determine whether any action is needed.

Read more.

The U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority has published a Policy Statement following its consultation last year on changes to the Pillar 2 capital requirements for banks and large investment firms. The amendments will apply from January 23, 2020. The PRA has made some changes to the proposed text following feedback from respondents that further clarification would be helpful, in particular on the setting of the PRA buffer using the hurdle rate in stress, buffer interactions and usability. The amendments are implemented in:

• Statement of Policy, "The PRA's methodologies for setting Pillar 2 capital";
• Supervisory Statement, "The Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) and the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP)" (SS31/15); and
• Supervisory Statement, "Implementing CRD IV: Capital buffers" (SS6/14).

View the Policy Statement.

View the updated Statements.

View details of the PRA's consultation.

The Bank of England and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority are establishing the Financial Services AI Public Private Forum that Governor Mark Carney announced in June 2019. The regulators are calling for expressions of interest to join the forum from a range of sectors, including, but not limited to: (i) asset and investment management; (ii) banking; (iii) financial market infrastructure; (iv) fintech; (v) insurance; (vi) non-governmental organizations; and (vii) technology service providers.

The purpose of the forum is to:

• share information and understand the practical challenges of using AI and machine learning in financial services, including obstacles to implementation and potential risks and trade-offs;
• establish the potential areas where principles, guidance, regulation or good practice might assist in the safe adoption of AI and machine learning; and
• assess whether ongoing industry input would be useful and what form that could take, such as through industry codes of conduct or an industry standard board.

View the FCA's announcement.

View the BoE's webpage.

View the terms of reference.

The European Banking Authority has published amendments to the 2018 Guidelines on fraud reporting under the revised Payment Services Directive (known as PSD2). The Regulatory Technical Standards on "strong customer authentication" requirements for payments services providers, setting out the process by which service providers authenticate the identity of customers have applied directly across the EU since September 14, 2019. Following clarifications by the European Commission on the application of SCA to certain transaction types, the EBA has amended the reporting templates linked to the guidelines to cater for reporting of transactions where SCA is not applied for reasons other than an exemption under the SCA RTS. The amendments will apply to the reporting of payment transactions initiated and executed from July 1, 2020.

View the EBA's announcement and the consolidated Guidelines.

View details of the SCA RTS.

The European Banking Authority has commenced a consultation on proposed changes to the EU-wide stress test framework for banks. The EU-wide stress test contributes to improving the financial resilience of banks. Responses to the consultation may be submitted until June 30, 2020. The EBA is holding a public hearing on the proposals on February 21, 2020.

The EBA is proposing to amend the framework to have two parts. The first would be the supervisory element, based on a common EU methodology. It would include the current constrained bottom-up approach, but also have an option for national regulators to adjust or replace banks' estimates based on top-down models and other tools. The second part would be the bank element and would be based on the same common methodology applied in the supervisory part. However, banks would be given more discretion to calculate their projections, provided an explanation and disclosure of the rational and impact of any deviations is possible. The quality of disclosure of the results would remain high, with only the supervisory leg being amended to limit the quantity of disclosure. Feedback is also sought on the approach to scenario designs.

View the consultation paper and other details.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has published two letters addressed to the CEOs of firms in the asset management and funds sectors. The first letter is addressed to CEOs of FCA-authorized firms directly managing mainstream investment vehicles or advising on mainstream investments, excluding wealth managers and financial advisers. The second letter is addressed to CEOs of FCA-authorized firms managing alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds or private equity funds, or managing alternative assets directly or advising on these types of investments. The letters follow the FCA's report on its review of how firms in the asset management sector selected and used risk modeling and other portfolio management tools.

Read more.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has announced the focus of its second review assessing suitability - advice received by consumers on retirement income. The FCA intends to publish a report on the outcome of the review in 2020. Alongside the announcement, the FCA has published a letter addressed to the CEOs of financial advice firms describing its approach to tackling key areas of concern with financial advice firms and setting out the action it expects these firms to undertake. The letter covers assessing suitability of advice, defined benefit pension transfer advice, pensions and investment scams, adequate financial resources and professional indemnity insurance, the FCA's recently imposed ban on the promotion of speculative mini-bonds to retail consumers, the Senior Managers and Certification Regime and preparing for the end of the Brexit implementation period.

View the FCA's statement.

View the Dear CEO letter.

The Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the Sveriges Riksbank, the Swiss National Bank and the Bank for International Settlements have announced that they have created a group to share experience as they assess the potential cases for central bank digital currency. The group will assess CBDC use cases, economic, functional and technical design choices, including cross-border interoperability and the sharing of knowledge on emerging technologies.

View the announcement.

The Banking Supervision arm of the European Central Bank has set out its expectations of Eurozone banks regarding their dividend distribution and variable remuneration policies. The ECB is responsible for direct prudential supervision of certain significant banks based in the Eurozone as part of the Single Supervisory Mechanism and has certain powers relating to the supervision by national Eurozone regulators of smaller banks. The ECB has published a letter addressed to significant banks warning them to take a "prudent, forward-looking stance" when setting the banks' remuneration policy and has also published a Recommendation (dated January 17, 2020) on requiring significant banks to "establish dividend policies using conservative and prudent assumptions". The Recommendation will apply directly to significant Eurozone banks. The ECB expects national Eurozone regulators to consider how it might be applied proportionally to the smaller banks. The ECB expects Eurozone banks to consider how their variable remuneration policies and dividend distribution policies will impact their ability to continue to meet their regulatory capital requirements, particularly taking into account the transitional provisions of the Capital Requirements Directive (version IV) and the transitional arrangements for mitigating the impact of the introduction of IFRS 9 on own funds.

View the ECB's letter.

View the ECB's Recommendation.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has responded to a request from the International Swaps and Derivatives Association for clarification on the expected timeframes for publication of a non-representative LIBOR. The FCA (in conjunction with the Financial Stability Board) had previously requested ISDA to introduce “pre-cessation” triggers in its derivative contracts, causing LIBOR-based contracts to fall back to an alternative reference rate in the event that the FCA deemed LIBOR to no longer be representative. ISDA requested clarity about the length of the period during which such a non-representative LIBOR might be published prior to its total cessation.

Read more.

The European Central Bank has opened a consultation on proposed guidelines on the materiality threshold for credit obligations past due for less significant institutions based in the Eurozone. The EU Capital Requirements Regulation risk quantification provisions set out that a default occurs when an obligor is past due more than 90 days on any material credit obligation to a firm, its parent or any of its subsidiaries. The materiality of the credit obligation is to be assessed against a threshold set by the national regulator according to its view of a reasonable level of risk. The ECB is responsible for direct prudential supervision of certain significant banks based in the Eurozone as part of the Single Supervisory Mechanism and has set the materiality threshold for these firms. The proposed guidelines are addressed to national Eurozone regulators within the SSM responsible for setting the threshold for less significant institutions. The ECB is proposing a single materiality threshold for all less significant institutions, both for retail and non-retail exposures.

The consultation closes on February 17, 2020.

View the consultation paper.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has updated its webpage and statement on the operation of the transparency regime under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive post-Brexit. The U.K. Government has stated that it is committed to leaving the EU with a deal on January 31, 2020, followed by an implementation period. As a result, the FCA confirms that during the implementation period, all MiFID systems will remain connected to the European Securities and Markets Authority. A further update will be provided in due course.

View the FCA's updated statement.

The U.K. Payment Systems Regulator has opened a consultation on proposals to vary its Specific Direction 10 on Confirmation of Payee. Confirmation of Payee is a system that ensures that certain identifiers (including name, sort code and account number) of a payee are verified against the records of a payment services provider before a payment is made. On August 1, 2019, the PSR issued Specific Direction 10 to certain institutions within the six largest U.K. payment service providers - Lloyds Group, Barclays Group, HSBC Group, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Santander Group and Nationwide Building Society - requiring them to implement "Confirmation of Payee" by March 31, 2020. The PSR is consulting on amending the Direction to introduce a new basis for a payment service provider to request an exemption from the requirements. The existing text of the Direction only allows exemptions in exceptional circumstances. The PSR also intends to include a limited exemption for HSBC UK Bank plc in the revised Direction. Responses to the consultation can be submitted until January 29, 2020.

View the consultation.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has launched a consultation on proposed guidelines on securitization repository data completeness and consistency thresholds. The proposed guidelines would apply to EU securitization repositories that are registered with and supervised by ESMA. The consultation closes on March 16, 2020.

Read more.

A U.K. court has granted an interim proprietary injunction over Bitcoin held in an account of a cryptocurrency exchange after it had been transferred there as part of a cyber attack on a Canadian insurance company. The judgment in AA v Persons Unknown & Ors, Re Bitcoin [2019] EWHC 3556 (Comm) was given on December 13, 2019, and following the lifting of reporting restrictions, was released for publication on January 17, 2020. In coming to its decision, the High Court adopted the analysis as to the proprietary status of crypto assets set out in the recent legal statement by the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce. Although each case will depend on the relevant facts and issues, the decision confirms that crypto assets are a form of property capable of being the subject of a proprietary injunction.

Read more.

The Bank of England, U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority, U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates have published a set of documents outlining priorities and milestones for 2020 on LIBOR transition.

Read more.

The Global Financial Innovation Network has published a report on lessons learned during the cross-border testing of innovative firms and their products. The GFIN was launched at the start of 2019 and is a network of organizations committed to supporting financial innovation in the interests of consumers. One of GFIN's priorities is to facilitate cross-border trials of emerging technologies across global jurisdictions (a global sandbox). The GFIN began a pilot with eight firms in April 2019, which aimed to develop testing plans for their cross-border trials. However, as none of the firms developed a testing plan that satisfied each jurisdiction's requirements, the GFIN could not progress things further. The GFIN has since met to consider how to take things forward and will further develop the framework of cross-border testing.

The report describes the accomplishments and the challenges that arose during the pilot and sets out the proposed next steps and solutions to improve cross-border testing for the next phase. The solutions include establishing a central website for GFIN and creating a single application form for applicants, both of which should make it easier for prospective firms to find relevant information and submit an application. In the first half of 2020, the GFIN will open applications for the first formal cohort of participants.

View the report.

The International Organization of Securities Commissions has published a report in which it recommends that where jurisdictions require clock synchronization for trading purposes, clocks should be synchronized to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). In its 2013 report - Technological Challenges to Effective Market Surveillance – Issues and Regulatory Tools (FR04/13) – IOSCO recommended the introduction of a requirement for trading venues and their participants to synchronize the business clocks used to record the date and time of a reportable event. The practice assists regulators in monitoring the markets for market abuse and identifying market abuse. Certain jurisdictions have already implemented clock synchronization according to UTC, including Australia, Canada and the EU.

View IOSCO's report.

Mark Carney, the outgoing Governor of the Bank of England, has been appointed as Finance Adviser for COP26. The role will be to assist the U.K. Government to build a sustainable financial system that supports the transition to a net zero economy. Andrew Bailey will replace Mr. Carney as the Governor of the Bank of England from March 16, 2020.

Read more.

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.

Read more.

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.

Read more.

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.

Read more.

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.

Read more.

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. 

Read more.

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.  

Read more.

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.

Read more.