Press releases

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) will hold a public hearing on its draft report on the calibration of a stable funding requirement on Thursday 15 October 2015 from 10.00 to 13.00 UK time.

The Board of Supervisors (BoS) of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU agency that brings together the banking supervisors of the 28 EU Member States, confirmed yesterday the extension of the mandates of Andrea Enria and Adam Farkas, respectively as Chairperson and Executive Director of the EBA for a another five year term from 2016 to 2021. The decision was based on the evaluation of the work of the past five years, as well as on work requirements for the coming years. The decision to extend Mr Enria’s term is subject to confirmation by the European Parliament.

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) for securities (ESMA), banking (EBA), and insurance and occupational pensions (EIOPA) have today issued their August 2015 Joint Committee Report on Risks and Vulnerabilities in the EU financial system. The joint risk report informs on risks in the EU financial system (banking, securities and insurance sector), with a particular focus on cross-sectoral vulnerabilities and developments.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report combining the benchmarking of remuneration practices across the European Union and aggregated data on the remuneration of EU institutions’ staff who received, in total, EUR one million or more in 2013. The report shows that the number of high earners slightly decreased since 2012 and that the ratio between the variable and fixed remuneration paid to identified staff was further reduced in 2013. This report is part of the EBA's work on institutions’ staff remuneration policies aimed at ensuring prudent and sustainable risk taking in the EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report combining the benchmarking of remuneration practices across the European Union and aggregated data on the remuneration of EU institutions’ staff who received, in total, EUR one million or more in 2013. The analysis focuses, in particular, on the identification of staff, the application of deferral arrangements and the pay out in instruments, as well as on the use of specific remuneration elements, such as guaranteed variable remuneration and severance payments. The report shows that the number of high earners slightly decreased since 2012 and that the ratio between the variable and fixed remuneration paid to identified staff was further reduced in 2013. This report is part of the EBA's work on institutions’ staff remuneration policies aimed at ensuring prudent and sustainable risk taking in the EU banking sector.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) informed today that it will incorporate additional analysis into its calibration reports on Net Stable Funding Requirements and Leverage Ratio. The announcement follows a request by the European Commission (EC) to obtain further advice so as to ensure its possible future policy actions in this area are well informed.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today its Opinion on how to define what arrangements should be protected in a partial property transfer in resolution. The Opinion ensures full protection of well-established sources of refinancing such as secured debt, including securities lending and covered bonds, and of means of risk mitigation. The Opinion is issued today in response to a request for advice from the European Commission and it will inform its delegated acts on the classes of arrangements to be protected in a partial transfer of the property of a bank under resolution.

The EBA announced today that it is getting ready to develop requirements that will harmonise regulatory and supervisory practices to ensure secure, easy and efficient payment services across the EU. The EBA will do so by fulfilling mandates under the upcoming revised Payments Services Directive (PSD2) and the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR). It has also issued final Guidelines for the security of internet payments that are applicable from 1 August 2015.

The Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) has ruled against an appeal by Onix Asigurari SA, a Romanian insurer, on a decision by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA).

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today two reports on the consistency of RWAs across large EU institutions for large corporate, sovereign and institutions’ IRB portfolios, (collectively referred to as “low default portfolios” - LDP), as well as for the calculation of counterparty credit risk (CCR) exposures under the Internal Model Method (IMM) and the credit value adjustments (CVA) according to the advanced approach (ACVA). The reports summarise the findings obtained from two benchmarking exercises conducted in line with the mandate laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) and related draft technical standards. The benchmarking exercises aim at improving the comparability of EU banks’ RWAs and are a crucial tool to restoring trust in internal models.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on passport notifications for mortgage credit intermediaries in support of the transposition of the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD). The Guidelines will ensure that information about credit intermediaries carrying out business in more than one Member State is exchanged consistently between national authorities.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the procedures for excluding transactions with non-financial counterparties (NFCs) established in a third country from the own funds requirement for credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk. The proposed RTS align the treatment of NFCs established in a third country with the treatment of EU NFCs. The consultation runs until 5 November 2015.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a call for evidence on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the SME supporting factor (SF). Through this paper, which is the basis for a preliminary discussion, the EBA is inviting its stakeholders to provide their input and evidence aimed at supporting the ongoing analysis on bank lending to SMEs and the impact of the SME SF. The final document, which will inform the European Commission’s own report on the impact of own funds requirements on lending to SMEs, is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2016. The consultation runs until 1 October 2015.

This report, requested by the European Commission, analyses the appropriateness of the Risk Weights (RWs) for Retail SME lending proposed in the CRDIV/CRR framework and assesses the possible effects of a reduction by one third in relation to the current regulation and the effect of an increase from EUR 1 million to EUR 5 million on the regulatory thresholds for SMEs.