Press releases

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) published today 22 language versions of the final Guidelines on the characteristics of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering and terrorist financing supervision under Directive (EU) 2015/849 on preventing the use of the financial system for money laundering or terrorist financing (Fourth Anti Money Laundering (AML) Directive).

The Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched today a public consultation on draft Guidelines that set out what payment service providers should do to detect and prevent the abuse of funds transfers for terrorist financing and money laundering purposes. These Guidelines are part of the ESAs’ wider work on fostering a common approach to Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) and promote a common understanding of payment service providers’ obligations in this area. This is essential to ensure the consistent application of AML/CFT law, which not only strengthens the European Union’s AML/CFT regime but is also a prerequisite for the smooth and efficient functioning of payment systems. The consultation runs until 5 June 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today three sets of final Guidelines on bail-in under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). These Guidelines complement existing regulation and guidance to facilitate the use of the bail-in power as a way of absorbing losses and recapitalising banks in resolution. In particular the Guidelines clarify how valuation information should help determine the terms of bail-in.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a periodical update of its Risk Dashboard summarising the main risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector by a set of Risk Indicators in Q4 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) welcomed the Central Bank of Kosovoas an additional signatory party to the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with banking supervisory authorities in several South-Eastern European (SEE) countries. The MoCwas signed in 2015 to establish a framework for cooperation and information exchange.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its 2016 annual assessment of EU supervisory colleges, which are established for the effective supervision of EU cross-border banking groups. The Report highlighted a number of achievements made by colleges in the course of 2016, including a good level and quality of engagement, and also identified areas for improvement as well as topics for supervisory attention for 2017. The Report relied on the EBA staff observations gained through their participation in colleges of supervisors and on the consolidated results of the individual college assessments conducted at the end of 2016.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs – EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) welcome the European Commission's public consultation to seek views on possible changes to their current framework of operation.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) updated today the 2016 list of Other Systemically Important Institutions (O-SIIs) in the EU. O-SIIs - those institutions which, along with Global Systemically Important Institutions (G-SIIs) are deemed systemically important - have been identified by the relevant authorities across the Union according to harmonised criteria provided by the EBA Guidelines. This list also reflects the additional capital buffers that the relevant authorities have set for the identified O-SIIs.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion following the notification by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) of its intention to modify capital requirements in order to address an increase in macroprudential risk. Based on the evidence submitted by the NBB, the EBA does not object to the adoption of the proposed measures, which are based on Article 458 of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).

The European Banking Authority set up a dedicated section on its website to centralise information on crisis prevention, management liquidation and resolution of credit institutions in the Union based on the notifications received from the respective national authorities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Commission, expressing dissent over some of the proposed amendments to its final draft Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS) on the separation of payment card schemes and processing entities under the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR). The EBA clarified that there is no clear requirement for a legal and structural separation between card schemes and processing entities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a public consultation on its draft Guidelines on the complaints procedures to be taken into consideration by competent authorities (CAs) to ensure and monitor effective compliance by payment service providers (PSPs) of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). These draft Guidelines are part of the EBA’s work to support the core objectives of the PSD2 of strengthening the integrated payments market across the European Union, ensuring a consistent application of the legislative framework and promoting transparency. The consultation runs until 16 May 2017.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today a revised list of validation rules in its Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) on supervisory reporting, highlighting those which have been deactivated either for incorrectness or for triggering IT problems. Competent Authorities throughout the EU are informed that data submitted in accordance with these ITS should not be formally validated against the set of deactivated rules.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today an Opinion addressed to the European Commission, Parliament and Council and to all competent authorities across the EU on transitional arrangements and credit risk adjustments to mitigate the effect of the accounting standard IFRS 9 on prudential ratios. The EBA supports the progressive recognition of the initial impact of IFRS 9 from 1 January 2018 until 2021.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion to the European Parliament, Council and Commission proposing that the decision-making framework for adopting supervisory reporting requirements be made more efficient and fit-for-purpose by replacing the Commission’s Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) with decisions adopted directly by the EBA.