EMEA Centre for Regulatory Strategy in Financial Services UK
Rise of the alternative workforce: The pricing innovation imperative for insurers
The traditional employer-employee relationship is being replaced by the emergence of an alternative workforce – temporary, on-call contract workers, freelancers, independent contractors and gig workers – that leaves no generation untouched. The alternative workforce is expected (according to governments and organisations such as the World Economic Forum) to increase dramatically over the coming years due to a combination of factors, including firms’ cost pressures, technological adoption, and changing workplace cultures.
IT change and operational resilience in financial services
Recent high profile IT failures have focused regulatory and supervisory attention on the risks that technology change can pose to the operational resilience of the financial services sector. The volume, velocity and complexity of change are presenting a significant challenge to many financial institutions, and it is during change programmes that disruptions sometimes crystallise.
Calling time on LIBOR – key messages from the FCA and PRA Dear CEO letter
On Wednesday, 5 June 2019, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published their eagerly awaited feedback on the Dear CEO (DCEO) letter on the discontinuation of LIBOR that was sent to the major banks and insurance companies in September 2018. The aim of the DCEO letter was to seek assurance on whether firms’ senior management and boards understood the risks associated with transitioning from LIBOR to alternative risk-free rates (RFRs) ahead of the end of 2021 and were taking appropriate and timely action.
Avoiding the Impending Storm - Financial Risks from Climate Change
In recent years, the effects of climate change have become more apparent, attracting attention from financial regulators globally. In a recent speech Sabine Lautenschläger, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, stated “climate change is not an issue for next century. It’s an issue for now, and it’s a topic not only for other sectors but also for the financial sector and for central bankers and supervisors”.1
The regulatory response to a transition to a greener economy is currently accelerating rapidly. A number of EU initiatives put climate change at the forefont of the financial regulatory agenda, and it is clear that the UK regulators will take an active lead.
Against a backdrop of institutional investor pressure and industry actions, central banks and regulators are placing a greater focus on the financial risks that arise from climate change. Banks and insurers incresingly need to think about how to adapt their business models and how the transition to a low-carbon economy may affect the business models and creditworthiness of the companies to which they are exposed.
The timeline below shows this regulatory response and the expected developments. We foresee regulators will continue to clarify their approach over the course of 2019.
EU regulators recommend fresh legislation on cyber and IT risk in the financial sector
In April, the Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published their advice to the European Commission on the strengthening of EU cyber and IT security regulation in the financial sector.
These recommendations are an early signal of what we believe will be increased activity by EU financial authorities on cyber risk from 2020 onwards. Going beyond cyber risk, they show an interesting convergence of thinking with UK authorities in recognising that all forms of IT operational disruptions increasingly threaten the stability of the financial sector. The recommendations also note that the emergence of various approaches to cyber and technology risk across countries in the EU could benefit from added facilitation, harmonisation and cooperation. While a number of regulatory challenges could arise from a strengthened EU approach to cyber risk in the financial sector, greater alignment between countries in addressing this risk area should be welcome news for cross-border financial services firms.
FCA Business Plan 2019/20: continuity prevails, but the FCA also looks to the future of regulation and its interaction with wider social policy
The FCA recently published its 2019/20 Business Plan, whose sector and cross sector priorities are summarised in the annex to this blog together with a timeline of key planned publications and pieces of work.
EMIR Refitted?
EMIR Refit, also referred to as EMIR 2.1, was signed off in the European Parliament plenary on 18 April, paving the way for it to enter into force, potentially as soon as this month.
Refit makes some targeted revisions to the clearing, risk mitigation, reporting and trade repository rules in the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). It should not be confused with EMIR 2.2, which makes revisions to EMIR CCP supervision rules and was also signed off at the European Parliament plenary. While some of the Refit revisions aim to make rules simpler and more proportionate, others in effect are likely to increase the regulatory burden already faced by firms. How significant the impact of these modifications is likely to be will depend on a firm’s derivatives trading model, as well as other factors, such as whether it transacts with non-financial counterparties (NFCs), is a clearing member, or has EU-established Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) in the group.
This blog provides an overview of some of the key requirements in Refit and the potential impact they will have on firms. Please see here for a more comprehensive look at the EMIR Refit changes.
What lies in store for third-country firm access to the EU in a post-Brexit world?
Despite the uncertainty that still surrounds the final date and terms on which the UK will leave the EU, many firms are already looking ahead to how they might optimise their post-Brexit business. Future EU market access, and the associated equivalence regimes, will be a fundamental consideration in this.
The FCA highlights the importance of firm culture and customer vulnerability as part of its debt management thematic review
The FCA recently published the findings of its thematic review of the debt management sector (TR19/01), following up on its first review of the sector in 2015.
The first review found that the quality of debt advice received by consumers was often “very poor” and that “firms were treating customers unfairly.” These poor practices led the FCA to include the debt management sector as a priority area as part of its 2017/18 Business Plan.
This blog explores the main findings from the most recent review and sets out the wider lessons that can be drawn both for debt management firms and the consumer credit sector more generally.
The EU ratifies its flagship bank capital package – but the story is far from over
On 16 April, the European Parliament formally ratified the EU’s Risk Reduction Measures (RRM) package on bank capital and liquidity, clearing the way for the finalisation of one of the most significant pieces of EU-level banking regulation in years.
This has been more than two-and-a-half years in the making, with a long period of difficult political negotiations following the RRM’s proposal by the European Commission in November 2016. The RRM is a combination of the EU’s fifth Capital Requirements Directive (CRD5), the second Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR2), and the second Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD2).