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Final ESMA Guidelines on cloud outsourcing

Published on by Dr. Verena Ritter-Döring and Charlotte Dreisigacker-Sartor

At the end of December 2020, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its final report on its guidelines on outsourcing to cloud service providers (CSP). The purpose of the guidelines is to help firms identify, address and monitor the risks that may arise from their cloud outsourcing arrangements. Since the main risks associated with cloud outsourcing are similar across financial sectors, ESMA has considered the European Banking Authority (EBA) Guidelines on outsourcing arrangements, which have incorporated the EBA Recommendations on outsourcing to cloud services providers and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) Guidelines on outsourcing to cloud service providers. This ensures consistency between the three sets of guidelines. The ESMA Guidelines on cloud outscoring apply to MiFID II firms such as investment firms and other financial services providers indirectly but they describe the market standard and set the supervisory framework for the National Competent Authorities (NCAs) in Europe such as the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – BaFin).

For the German jurisdiction, BaFin published guidance on outsourcing to cloud providers back in 2018. Please note that the amended MaRisk include outsourcing requirements for investment firms and other financial services providers and already reflect the EBA Guidelines on outsourcing, including cloud outsourcing. For more information on the MaRisk amendment, please see our previous Blogpost.

The guidelines in more detail

The following gives a brief overview of the main content of the ESMA cloud outsourcing guidelines.

  • Guideline 1: Governance, oversight and documentation

Firms should have a defined and up-to date cloud outsourcing strategy which should include, inter alia, a clear assignment of the responsibility for the documentation, management and control of cloud outsourcing arrangements, sufficient resources to ensure compliance with all legal requirements applicable to the firm’s outsourcing arrangements, a cloud outsourcing oversight function directly accountable to the management body and responsible for managing and overseeing the risk of cloud outsourcing arrangements, a (re)assessment of whether the cloud outsourcing arrangements concern critical or important functions as well as an updated register of information on all cloud outsourcing arrangements. For the outsourcing of critical or important functions, the ESMA guidelines include a detailed list of information which should be included in the register.

  • Guideline 2: Pre-outsourcing analysis and due diligence

ESMA provides information on what is required for the pre-outsourcing analysis (e.g. an assessment if the cloud outsourcing concerns a critical or important function). In the case of outsourcing of critical or important function, firms should conduct a comprehensive risk analysis and take into account benefits and costs of the cloud outsourcing and perform an evaluation of the suitability of the CSP.

  • Guideline 3: Key contractual elements

The guidelines provide a detailed list of what a written cloud outsourcing agreement should include in case of outsourcing of critical or important functions. Such agreements should include, inter alia, provisions regarding data protection, agreed service levels incident management, business continuity plans, termination rights and access and audit rights for the firm and its competent supervisory authority.

  • Guideline 4: Information security

Firms should set information security requirements in its internal policies and procedures and within the cloud outsourcing written agreement and monitor compliance with these requirements on an ongoing basis. In case of outsourcing of critical or important functions, additional requirements apply regarding information security organization, identity and access management, encryption and key management, operations and network security, application programming interfaces, business continuity and data location.

  • Guideline 5: Exit strategies

In case of outsourcing of critical or important functions, firms should develop and maintain exit strategies that ensure that the firm is able to exit the cloud outsourcing arrangement without undue disruption to its business activities and services to its client. Exit strategies should include comprehensive and documented exit plans, the identification of alternative solutions and provisions in the written outsourcing agreements that oblige the CSP to support orderly transfer of the outsourced function from the CSP to another CSP.

  • Guideline 6: Access and audit rights

Firms should ensure that the cloud outsourcing written agreement does not limit the firm´s and competent authority´s effective exercise of the access and audit rights on the CSP (see also Guideline 3). However, the Guideline also includes provisions aimed at reducing the organizational burden on the CSP and its clients when exercising access and audit rights: firm may use e.g. third-party certifications and external or internal audit reports made available by the CSP. However, in case of outsourcing of critical or important functions, the guidelines stipulate additional requirements that must be met in order to be able to rely on third party certifications or assessments.

  • Guideline 7: Sub-outsourcing

In case of sub-outsourcing, the firm should ensure that the CSP appropriately oversees the sub-outsourcer. In addition, ESMA provides information on the provisions that should be included in the written outsourcing agreement between the firm and the CSP in the case of sub-outsourcing critical or important function. This includes the remaining accountability of the CSP, a notification requirement for the CSP in case of any intended sub-outsourcing allowing the firm sufficient time to carry out a risk assessment of the proposed sub-outsourcer, the firm´s right to object to the intended sub-outsourcing and termination rights in case of such objection.

  • Guideline 8: Written notification to competent authorities

Firms should notify in writing its competent authority in a timely manner of planned cloud outsourcing arrangement that concern critical or important functions. The notification should include, inter alia, a description of the outsourced functions, a brief summary of the reasons why the outsourced function is considered critical or important and the individual or decision-making body in the firm that approved the cloud outsourcing arrangement.

What´s next?

In a next step, the guidelines will be translated in the official EU languages and published on the ESMA´s website. The publication of the translation will trigger a two-month period during which the national competent authorities must notify ESMA whether they comply or intend to comply with the guidelines (comply or explain mechanism). For the German jurisdiction, it is to be expected that BaFin will comply with the ESMA guidelines.

Brexit update on cross-border services: MiFID II requirements vs. reverse solicitation

Published on by Dr. Verena Ritter-Döring and Charlotte Dreisigacker-Sartor

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has recently issued a public statement to remind firms of the MiFID II requirements on the provision of investment services to retail or professional clients by third-country firms. With the end of the UK transition period on December 2020, UK firms now qualify as third-country firms under the MiFID II regime. The third country status of the UK as of 2021 was explicitly confirmed by the German regulator BaFin in a recent publication.

Pursuant to MiFID II, EU Member States may require that a third-country firm intending to provide investment services to retail or to professional clients in its territory have to establish a branch in that Member State or may conduct business requiring a license on a cross-border basis, without having a presence in Germany (so-called notification procedure/EU Passport). However, according to MiFID II, where a retail or professional client established or situated in the EU initiates at its own exclusive initiative the provision of an investment service or activity by a third-country firm, the third country firm is not subject to the MiFID II requirement to establish a branch and to obtain a license (so-called reverse solicitation).

With the end of the UK transition period on December 2020, ESMA notes that some “questionable” practices by firms around reverse solicitation have emerged. For example, ESMA states that some firms appear to be trying to circumvent MiFID II requirements by including general clauses in their Terms of Business or by using online pop-up boxes whereby clients state that any transactions are executed in the exclusive initiative of the client.

With its public statement, ESMA aims to remind firms that pursuant to MiFID II, where a third-country firm solicits (potential) clients in the EU or promotes or advertises investment services in the EU, the investment service is not provided at the initiative of the client and, therefore, MiFID II requirements apply. Every communication means used (press release, advertising on internet, brochures, phone calls etc.) should be considered to determine if the client has been subject to any solicitation, promotion or advertising in the EU on the firm´s investment service or activities. Reverse solicitation only applies if the client actually initiates the provision of an investment service or activity, it does not apply if the investment firm “disguises” its own initiative as one of the client.

However, despite this seemingly rather strict approach of ESMA, reverse solicitation is generally still applicable if a (UK) third-country firm

  • only offers services at the sole initiative of the client,
  • (only) continues an already existing client relationship or
  • continues to inform its clients about its range of products within the scope of existing business relationships (which is often agreed upon in the client´s contract).

It is argued that, for example, in the case of an existing account or deposit or an existing loan agreement that a UK third country firm continues to provide to an EU client after Brexit, no direct marketing or solicitation of the client in the EU takes place. In this case, the third country firm would not have solicited the client.

In a nutshell: What UK firms should consider

The provision of investment services in the EU is subject to license requirements and can include the requirement to establish a branch or a subsidiary in the relevant EU member state. The provision of investment services without proper authorization exposes investment firms to administrative or criminal proceedings. Where a client established in the EU initiates at its own exclusive initiative the provision of an investment service by a third-country firm, such firm is not subject to the requirement to establish a branch or to obtain a license (reverse solicitation). Generally, reverse solicitation also applies when existing client relationships are continued (which have been legitimately established), as the investment firm would not solicit a client in this case.

ESMA update: Impact of Brexit on MiFID II/MiFIR and Benchmark Regulation

Published on by Dr. Verena Ritter-Döring and Charlotte Dreisigacker-Sartor

At the beginning of October 2020, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has updated its previous statements from March and October 2019 on its approach to the application of key provisions of MiFID II/MiFIR and the Benchmark Regulation (BMR) in case of Brexit. As the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement entered into force on February 2020 and the UK entered a transition period (during which EU law still applies in and to the UK) that will end on 31 December 2020, these statements needed to be revised.

This Blogpost highlights the updated ESMA approach on third-country trading venues regarding the post-trade transparency requirements (MIFID II/MiFIR) and the inclusion of third country UK benchmarks and administrators in the ESMA register of administrators and third country benchmarks (BMR).

MiFID II/MIFIR: Third-country trading venues and post-trade transparency The regulations of MiFID II/MiFIR provide for post-trade transparency requirements. EU investment firms which, for their own account or on behalf of clients, carry out transactions in certain financial instruments traded on a trading venue, are obliged to publish the volume, price and time of conclusion of the transaction. Such publication requirements serve the general transparency of the financial market. As ESMA has already stated in 2017, post-trade transparency obligations also apply where EU investment firms conduct transactions on a third country trading venue.

By the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, UK trading venues will qualify as third country trading venues. Therefore, if an EU investment firm carries out transactions via a UK trading venue, it is, in general, subject to the MiFID II/MiFIR post-trade transparency obligations.

However, EU-investment firms would not be subject to the MiFID II/MiFIR post-trade transparency requirements if the relevant UK trading venue would already be subject to EU-comparable regulatory requirements itself. This would be the case if the trading venue would be subject to a licensing requirement and continuous monitoring and if a post-trade transparency regime would be provided for.

In June 2020, ESMA published a list of trading venues that meet these requirements. While the UK was a member of the EU and during the transition period, ESMA did not asses UK trading against those criteria. However, ESMA intends to perform such assessment of UK trading venues before the end of the transition period. Transactions executed by an EU investment firm on a UK trading venue that, after the ESMA assessment, would be included in the list, will not be subject to MiFID II/MiFIR post-trade transparency. In this case, sufficient transparency requirements would already be ensured by the comparable UK regime. However, any transactions conducted on UK trading venues not included in the ESMA list on EU-comparable trading venues will by the end of the transition period be subject to the MiFID II/MiFIR post-trade transparency rules.

BMR: ESMA register of administrators and third country benchmarks

Supervised EU-entities can only use a benchmark in the EU if it is provided by an EU administrator included in the ESMA register of administrators and third country benchmarks (ESMA Register) or by a third country administrator included in the ESMA Register. This is to ensure that all benchmarks used within the EU are subject to either the BMR Regulation or a comparable regulation.

So far, UK administrators qualified as EU administrators and have been included in the ESMA Register. After the Brexit transition period, UK administrators included in the ESMA register will be deleted as the BMR will by then no longer be applicable to UK administrators. UK administrators that were originally included in the ESMA Register as EU administrators, will after the Brexit transition period qualify as third country administrators. The BMR foresees different regimes for third country administrators to be included in the ESMA Register, being equivalence, recognition or endorsement.

“Equivalence” must be decided on by the European Commission. Such decision requires that the third country administrator is subject to a supervisory regime comparable to that of the BMR. So far, the European Commission has not yet issued any decision on the UK in this respect.  Until an equivalence decision is made by the European Commission, UK administrators therefore have (only) two options if they want their benchmarks eligible for being used in the EU: They/their benchmarks need to be recognized or need to be endorsed under the BMR.

Recognition of a third country administrator requires its compliance with essential provisions of the BMR. The endorsement of a third country benchmark by an administrator located in the EU is possible if the endorsing administrator has verified and is able to demonstrate on an on-going basis to its competent authority that the provision of the benchmark to be endorsed fulfils, on a mandatory or on a voluntary basis, requirements which are at least as stringent as the BMR requirements.

However, the BMR provides for a transitional period itself until 31 December 2021. A change of the ESMA Register would not have an effect on the ability of EU supervised entities to use the benchmarks provided by UK administrators. During the BMR transitional period, third country benchmarks can still be used by supervised entities in the EU if the benchmark is already used in the EU as a reference for e.g. financial instruments. Therefore, EU supervised entities can until 31 December 2021 use third country UK benchmarks even if they are not included in the ESMA Register. In the absence of an equivalence decision by the European Commission, UK administrators will have until the end of the BMR transitional period to apply for a recognition or endorsement in the EU, in order for the benchmarks provided by these UK administrators to be included in the ESMA Register again.

Brexit, still great uncertainty

Currently, the whole Brexit situation is fraught with great uncertainty due to the faltering political negotiations. The updated ESMA Statement contributes to legal certainty in that it clearly sets out the legal consequences that will arise at the end of the transition period. This is valuable information and guidelines for all affected market participants, who must prepare themselves in time for the end of the transition period and take appropriate internal precautions.

EBA´s New Role in Anti-money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism

Published on by Dr. Verena Ritter-Döring and Charlotte Dreisigacker-Sartor

At the turn of the year, there have been some new developments in anti-money laundering (AML) law at both German and EU level. Part 1 of our series dealt with the changes at German law resulting from the implementation of the Fifth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Part 2 sheds some light on the European Banking Authority’s (EBA) new leading role in anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT).

What is changing in the approach to AML/CFT?

In 2019, the EU legislator gave EBA a legal mandate to preventing the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering and terrorist financing and to leading, coordinating and monitoring the AML/CFT efforts of all EU financial service providers and competent authorities. The law implementing EBA´s new powers came into effect on 1 January 2020.

However, assigning EBA a leading role in AML/CFT will not change the EU´s general approach to AML/CFT, which remains based on a minimum harmonisation directive and an associated strong focus on national law and direct supervision of financial institutions by national competent authorities. This reduces the influence and the degree of convergence and consistency EBA´s work can achieve from the outset.

To the extent legally possible, EBA will use its new role to

  • lead the establishment of AML/CTF policy and support its effective implementation by competent authorities and financial institutions;
  • coordinate AML/CFT measures by fostering effective cooperation and information exchange between all relevant authorities;
  • monitor the implementation of EU AML/CFT standards to identify vulnerabilities in competent authorities´ approaches to AML/CFT supervision and to mitigate them before money laundering and financing of terrorism risks materialise.

How will EBA lead on AML/CFT?

To fulfill its new leading role, EBA will focus on two key point: developing an EU-wide AML/CFT policy and ensuring a consistent supervision by national competent authorities. EBA intends to develop such EU-wide AML/CFT policy through standards, guidelines or opinions where this is provided for in EU law as well as on its own initiative where it identifies, for example, gaps in competent authorities´ supervision. In 2020, EBA will be setting clear expectations on the components of an effective risk-based approach with targeted revisions to the core AML/CFT guidelines: the Risk Factors Guidelines and the Risk-Based Supervision Guidelines.

EBA intends to foster a consistent supervision by national competent authorities by assisting them through training, bilateral support and detailed bilateral feedback on their approach to the AML/CFT supervision of banks.

What will EBA do to coordinate?

To coordinate the European work against money laundering and terrorism financing, EBA will focus to coordinate national competent authorities´ AML/CFT supervision by fostering effective cooperation and information exchange. To achieve its goal, the EBA will set up a permanent internal AML/CFT standing committee (AMLSC). The AMLSC will bring together, inter alia, representatives of all AML/CFT competent authorities from Member States, along with representatives from ESMA and EIOPA, the Commission and the European Central Bank. Its main task will be to provide subject matter expertise. It will also serve as a forum to facilitate information exchange and ensure effective coordination and cooperation to achieve consistent outcomes in the EU’s work against money laundering and terrorism financing. The AMLSC has met for the first time in February 2020.

In addition to the AMLSC, EBA will create a new AML/CFT database. This database will not only contain information on AML/CFT weaknesses in individual financial institutions and measures taken by competent authorities to correct those shortcomings, but EBA will use it to meet wider AML/CFT information and data need to supports its objectives on AML/CFT work. EBA will draft two regulatory technical standards  that will specify the core information that competent authorities must submit to the date base and how EBA will analyse the obtained information and make it available to competent authorities.

What will EBA do to monitor?

One main tool for EBA to monitor the implementation of EU AML/CFT standards will be using information from the new database and to ask national competent authorities to take action if EBA has the indication that a financial institution´s approach to AML/CFT materially breaches EU law. EBA envisages to use this new tool proactively to ensure that AML/CFT risks are addressed by competent authorities and financial institutions in a timely and effective manner. This approach aims to rectify shortcomings at the level of financial institutions; they do not, however, serve to establish whether or not a competent authority may be in breach of Union law.

The difference EBA´s new role will make

As the national implementation of the Fifth European AML Directive and the EBA´s new leading role show, effective AML/CFT measures remain in the focus of the EU legislator, not least due to political developments (terrorist attacks in France, “Panama Papers” etc.). Market participants should prepare themselves for stricter audits by their competent national authorities on AML/CFT compliance. For example, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – BaFin) has announced AML/CFT as one of its focuses of its supervisory practice for 2020. By assigning a leadership role to EBA, European efforts to prevent money laundering will in future be better coordinated, bundled and consistently implemented throughout the European financial market and therefore, hopefully, be more effective. However, we need to keep in mind that BaFin and subsequently also EBA are only part of the European and national AML regime. In Germany, for example, the FIU has a leading role in AML activities. An overview of the authorities involved can be found here.

Brexit Update: What Happened So Far

Published on by Dr. Verena Ritter-Döring and Charlotte Dreisigacker-Sartor

The last year of the old decade brought so many twists and turns on the subject of Brexit that one could easily lose track. Hence, our first blogpost of the new decade will shed some light on the current Brexit situation and the next steps currently planned by British and European politicians. As always, we will focus in particular on the effects on the financial market.

Current Situation: What Will Happen Now?

Since the British Parliament approved Johnson´s Brexit deal in December 2019, the UK will leave on 31 January 2020. An 11-month transition phase will then come into force: the UK will remain in the EU single market and the customs union until the end of 2020. During this period everything will remain mostly the same for the time being.

During the transition period, the EU and the UK will have to reorganise their relations with each other, with future economic relations as well as security and defence cooperation being key issues. First of all, a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement is to be concluded, which can above all prevent customs duties at the borders. But other economic areas, such as the financial market in particular, must also be regulated, either as part of the Free Trade Agreement (which would be unusual from a legal perspective) or through a separate agreement.

11 months are a short time and one may have doubts as to whether this time will be sufficient. The European Commission is already considering equivalence assessments for the financial market. However, there will be not ONE equivalent decision (see here) for an earlier analysis of the equivalence principle of the EU). There are currently around 40 equivalence areas which need to be assessed in each case. Most equivalence decisions provide for prudential benefits, some provide for burden reduction and some can lead to market access. There will also have to be close cooperation between the UK and EU financial supervisory authorities. During the assessment process the EU will look at UK legislation and supervision and will take a risk-based approach – as for all other third countries. This means that the higher the possible impact on the EU market, the more granular will the assessment be conducted. In case the UK will stick with the current EU regulation, this will be an easier task. But as soon as the UK will break new ground to make the UK financial market more attractive the impact on the equivalent status will need to be considered.

It can be assumed that the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdiensteistungsaufsicht – BaFin) and the other European financial supervisory authorities will monitor the negotiations regarding a financial market agreement very closely during the transition phase and will adapt and communicate their intentions for action accordingly.

To Be Continued

Although a hard Brexit has been avoided, there will still be uncertainties about future relations between the EU and the UK. Financial market participants should follow the negotiations between the EU and the UK closely and not rely on the fact that a financial market agreement can be concluded successfully in the short transition period.

EBA’s Action Plan on Sustainable Finance

Published on by Charlotte Dreisigacker-Sartor

Climate change and the response to it by the public sector and society in general have led to an increasing relevance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors for financial markets. It is, therefore, essential that financial institutions are able to measure and monitor the ESG risks in order to deal with risks stemming from climate change (learn more about climate change related risks in our previous Blogpost.

To support this, on 6 December 2019, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published its Action Plan on Sustainable Finance outlining its approach and timeline for delivering mandates related to ESG factors. The Action Plan explains the legal bases of the EBA mandates and EBA´s sequenced approach to fulfil these mandates.

Why is EBA in charge ? EBA mandates on sustainable finance

The EBA´s remit and mandates on ESG factors and ESG risks are set out in the following legislative acts:

  • the amended EBA Regulation;
  • the revised Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR II) and Capital Requirements Directive (CRD V);
  • the new Investment Firms Regulation (IFR) and Investment Firms Directive (IFD) and
  • the EU the Commission´s Action Plan: Financing Sustainable Growth and related legislative packages.

These legislatives acts reflect a sequenced approach, starting with the mandates providing for the EBA to oblige institutions to incorporate ESG factors into their risk management as well as delivering key metrics in order to ensure market discipline. The national supervisory authorities are invited to gain an overview of existing ESG-related market risks. In a second step, the EBA will develop a dedicated climate change stress test that institutions should use to test the impact of climate change related risks on their risk-bearing capacity and to take appropriate precautions. The third step of the work will look into the evidence around the prudential treatment of “green” exposures.

The rationale for this sequencing is the need firstly to understand institutions´ current business mix from a sustainability perspective in order to measure and manage it in relation to their chosen strategy, which can then be used for scenario analysis and alter for the assessment of an appropriate prudential treatment.

Strategy and risk management

With regard to ESG strategy and risk management, the EBA already included references to green lending and ESG factors in its Consultation paper on draft guidelines on loan origination and monitoring which will apply to internal governance and procedures in relation to credit granting processes and risk management. Based on the guidelines the institutions will be required to include the ESG factors in their risk management policies, including credit risk policies and procedures. The guidelines also set out the expectation that institutions that provide green lending should develop specific green lending policies and procedures covering granting and monitoring of such credit facilities.

In addition, based on the mandate included in the CRD V, the EBA will asses the development of a uniform definition of ESG risks and the development of criteria and methods for understanding the impact of ESG risks on institutions to evaluate and manage the ESG risks.

It is envisaged that the EBA will first publish a discussion paper in Q2-Q3/2020 seeking stakeholder feedback before completing a final report. As provided for in the CRD V, based on the outcome of this report, the EBA may issue guidelines regarding the uniform inclusion of ESG risks in the supervisory review and evaluation process performed by competent authorities, and potentially also amend or extend other policies products including provisions for internal governance, loan origination and outsourcing agreements.

Until EBA has delivered its mandates on strategy and risk management, it encourages institutions to act proactively in incorporating ESG considerations into their business strategy and risk management as well as integrate ESG risks into their business plans, risk management, internal control framework and decision-making process.

Key metrics and disclosures

Institutions disclosures constitute an important tool to promote market discipline. The provision of meaningful information on common key metrics also distributes to making market participants aware of market risks. The disclosure of common and consistent information also facilitates comparability of risks and risks management between institutions, and helps market participants to make informed decisions.

To support this, CRR II requires large institutions with publicly listed issuances to disclose information on ESG risks and climate change related risks. In this context, CRR II includes a mandate to the EBA according to which it shall develop a technical standard implementing the disclosure requirements. Following this mandate, EBA will specify ESG risks´ disclosures as part of the comprehensive technical standard on Basel´s framework Pillar 3.

Similar mandates are contained in the IFR and IFD package. The IFD mandate for example requires EBA to report on the introduction of technical criteria related to exposures to activities associated substantially with ESG objectives for the supervisory review and evaluation process of risks, with a view to assessing the possible sources and effects of such risks on investment firms.

Until EBA has delivered its mandates, it encourages institutions to continue their work on existing disclosure requirements such as provided for in the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) as well as participation in other initiatives. EBA also encourages institutions to prioritise the identification of some simple metrics (such as green asset ratio) that provide transparency on how climate change-related risks are embedded into their business strategies, decision-making process, and risk management.

Stress testing and scenario analysis

The EBA Regulation includes a specific reference to the potential environmental-related systemic risk to be reflected in the stress-testing regime. Therefore, the EBA should develop common methodologies assessing the effect of economic scenarios on an institutions´ financial position, taking into account, inter alia, risks stemming from adverse environmental developments and the impact of transition risk stemming from environmental political changes.

Also the CRD V mandate requires EBA to develop appropriate qualitative and quantitative criteria, such as stress testing processes and scenario analysis, to asses the impact of ESG risks under scenarios with different severities. Hence, EBA will develop a dedicated climate stress test with the main objective of identifying banks´ vulnerabilities to climate-related risks and quantifying the relevance of the exposures that could potentially hit by climate change related risks.

Until delivering its mandates, EBA encourages institutions to adopt climate change related scenarios and use scenario analysis as an explorative tool to understand the relevance of the exposures affected by and the potential magnitude of climate change related risks.

Prudential treatment

The mandate in the CRR II asks EBA to assess if a dedicated prudential treatment of exposures to assets or activities associated with environmental or social objectives would be justified. The findings should be summarised in a report based on the input of a first to be published discussion paper.

Upshot

Between 2019 and 2025, the EBA will deliver a significant amount of work on ESG and climate change related risks. The obligations for institutions with regard to a sustainable financial economy and a more conscious handling of climate change related risks are becoming increasingly concrete. Institutions should take the EBA’s encouragement seriously and consider applying the measures recommended by the EBA prior to the publication of any guidelines, reports or technical standards.