BoE Notifies on Approach of UK to Financial Legislation Under EUWA

HM Treasury also confirmed its intention, subject to parliamentary approval, to delegate powers to the financial services regulators (BoE, PRA, FCA, Payment Systems Regulator) to make the required changes to onshored Binding Technical Standards (BTS). The regulators will be responsible for maintaining those BTS going forward. The regulators would also be able to make changes to their own rulebooks using the delegated EUWA powers. BoE as a regulator intends to consult, in coordination with FCA when appropriate, on proposed changes to onshored BTS and rules this autumn. It plans to do this following HM Treasury’s publication in draft, or laying before parliament, of Statutory Instruments related to most of its regulatory remits. This will allow firms, including financial market infrastructures (FMIs), to be able to review and comment on the proposed changes to BTS and the regulators’ rulebooks in the context of HM Treasury’s proposed amendments to relevant onshored legislation. The changes set out in HM Treasury’s Statutory Instruments, and the BoE changes to BTS and rules, would largely only come into force on March 29, 2019 in the eventuality that the implementation period is not put in place. 

BoE does not expect firms providing services within the UK’s regulatory remit to have to prepare now to implement these changes. HM Treasury has set out that it intends to provide regulators with powers to grant transitional relief, where appropriate, to ensure that, in a scenario in which an implementation period is not in place, firms and FMIs have sufficient time to comply with the changes. Against the possibility that the implementation period does not take effect on the March 29, 2019, HM Treasury confirmed that it will bring forward legislation under the EUWA shortly to create temporary permissions and recognition regimes. This will allow firms, including non-UK central counterparties, to continue their activities in the UK for a time-limited period after the UK has left the EU, even if there is no implementation period. The firms that wish to continue carrying out business in the UK in the longer term will also be able to use this time-limited period to seek to obtain full authorization (or recognition) from UK regulators without disruption to their business.

If the implementation period, which has been agreed in principle as part of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, takes effect on the March 29, 2019, the UK would continue to be treated as part of the EU single market in financial services, meaning that EU law would continue to apply to UK firms as it does now and firms will be able to operate on the same basis as they do now. BoE expects firms to comply with EU law during the implementation period. Under the terms of the draft Withdrawal Agreement, EU law would continue to apply in the UK during that period, from March 29, 2019 until December 31, 2020. UK firms should, therefore, plan on the assumption that requirements arising from the new EU legislation that come into effect during this period will apply to UK firms and FMIs.

Related Link: Press Release

Keywords: Europe, EU, UK, Banking, Brexit, Withdrawal Agreement, Brexit Approach, HM Treasury, BoE