Search

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its eighth semi-annual report on risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector. The report shows that EU banks have continued to strengthen their capital position and to improve asset quality. However, the level of non-performing exposures remains high and profitability is still weak. The report also analyses the exposures towards emerging market (EM) countries and non-bank financial intermediaries.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on sound remuneration policies together with its Opinion on proportionality, recommending exemptions from the remuneration principles in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV). The guidelines ensure that institutions calculate correctly and consistently the so called ‘bonus cap’ by setting out specific criteria for mapping all remuneration components into either fixed or variable pay and detailing how specific remuneration elements such as allowances, sign-on bonuses, retention bonuses and severance pay are to be recognised over time.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) issued today an Opinion on the trigger, calculation and transparency of the Maximum Distributable Amount (MDA). The Opinion clarifies that the MDA should be calculated taking into account both minimum (Pillar 1) and additional (Pillar 2) capital requirements which should be met at all times, as well as the combined buffer requirement. The Opinion is designed to support the consistent application of distribution restrictions laid down in the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) in order to promote a level playing field across the Single Market, and to give greater certainty for banks’ capital planning needs. It also calls for transparency in Pillar 2 outcomes for all banks, with a view to providing clarity for investors in banks. The Opinion advises the European Commission to review the CRD text in the future to ensure certainty and more consistency.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched today a consultation on its draft Guidelines on stress testing. These Guidelines set out expectations for institutions’ stress testing programmes and seek improvements by drawing on lessons from previous stress test exercises. In addition, they aim at promoting convergence of the use of stress testing in the context of the supervisory review and evaluation process (SREP). The consultation runs until 18 March 2016.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a report summarising the findings of its analysis and market practice assessment of the synthetic securitisation market. The EBA supports the limited extension of the prudential treatment granted to simple, standardised and transparent securitisations (STS) to banks that originate and retain certain SME balance sheet synthetic securitisation positions, as in the Commission’s legislative proposal on securitisation. The EBA advises on the criteria that should determine eligibility of balance sheet synthetic transactions, specifying, among others, under which conditions originator banks may transfer the risk of eligible transactions to public or private investors.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today the final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the methodology for the valuation of derivative liabilities for the purpose of bail-in in resolution. These standards, which have been developed within the framework of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) setting procedures for the orderly management of bank failures, provide EU resolution authorities with a methodology for the valuation of derivative liabilities of credit institutions placed under resolution and ensure that the discipline brought in by the new bail-in tool can effectively be extended to these liabilities too.