EIOPA Updates Data to Calculate Volatility Adjustments Under SII
EIOPA published the updated representative portfolios for use in the calculation of the volatility adjustments to the relevant risk-free interest rate term structures for Solvency II. EIOPA will start using these updated representative portfolios for the calculation of the volatility adjustments at the end of March 2021, which will be published at the beginning of April 2021. EIOPA also published a report that provides an overview of the administrative sanctions or other measures imposed by national competent authorities under the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD). The report shows that, in eight member states, nearly 1,923 administrative sanctions or other measures were imposed.
For the calculation of volatility adjustments under Solvency II, EIOPA published the updated representative portfolios three months in advance to allow insurers and reinsurers sufficient time to prepare for this change. The updated portfolios are based on the end-of-2019 annual reporting templates as reported by European insurance and reinsurance companies to their national supervisory authorities. Due to the departure of UK from EU, the representative portfolios no longer include data from UK insurance and reinsurance undertakings. The updated portfolios enable more accurate reflection of the impact of market volatility under the Solvency II framework. EIOPA plans to revise the representative portfolios annually, with the next update being scheduled for the end of 2021, according to Article 194 of the Technical Documentation. EIOPA also updated the Technical Documentation on the methodology to derive risk-free rate term structures, with the results of Deep Liquid and Transparent assessment and the representative portfolios update for 2021.
The volatility adjustments are derived from spreads of representative portfolios of assets. The representative portfolios are derived in accordance with Article 49 of the Commission Delegated Regulation 2015/35. The volatility adjustment is a measure to ensure the appropriate treatment of insurance products with long-term guarantees under Solvency II. Insurers and reinsurers are allowed to adjust the risk-free rates to mitigate the effect of short-term volatility of bond spreads on their solvency position. This way, the volatility adjustment prevents procyclical investment behavior of insurers and reinsurers.
Related Links
- Press Release on Updated Representative Portfolios
- Updated Representative Portfolios (XLSX)
- Updated Technical Documentation (PDF)
- Report on Administrative Sanctions Under IDD
Keywords: Europe, EU, Insurance, Solvency II, IDD, Insurance Distribution Directive, Volatility Adjustment, Risk-Free Rates, EIOPA
Featured Experts
Cassandra Hannibal
Life insurance actuary; risk management and economic capital specialist
Paul McCarney
Insurance product strategist; insurance domain expert; extensive experience developing risk assessment frameworks for insurers
Brian Robinson
Actuary; risk management specialist; corporate and capital modelling expert
Related Articles
US Agencies Issue Several Regulatory and Reporting Updates
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FED) adopted the final rule on Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act.
ECB Issues Multiple Reports and Regulatory Updates for Banks
The European Central Bank (ECB) published an updated list of supervised entities, a report on the supervision of less significant institutions (LSIs), a statement on macro-prudential policy.
HKMA Keeps List of D-SIBs Unchanged, Makes Other Announcements
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published a circular on the prudential treatment of crypto-asset exposures, an update on the status of transition to new interest rate benchmarks.
EU Issues FAQs on Taxonomy Regulation, Rules Under CRD, FICOD and SFDR
The European Commission (EC) adopted the standards addressing supervisory reporting of risk concentrations and intra-group transactions, benchmarking of internal approaches, and authorization of credit institutions.
CBIRC Revises Measures on Corporate Governance Supervision
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) issued rules to manage the risk of off-balance sheet business of commercial banks and rules on corporate governance of financial institutions.
HKMA Publications Address Sustainability Issues in Financial Sector
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) made announcements to address sustainability issues in the financial sector.
EBA Updates Address Basel and NPL Requirements for Banks
The European Banking Authority (EBA) published regulatory standards on identification of a group of connected clients (GCC) as well as updated the lists of identified financial conglomerates.
ESMA Publishes 2022 ESEF XBRL Taxonomy and Conformance Suite
The General Board of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), at its December meeting, issued an updated risk assessment via the quarterly risk dashboard and held discussions on key policy priorities to address the systemic risks in the European Union.
FCA Sets up ESG Committee, Imposes Penalties, and Issues Other Updates
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking comments, until December 21, 2022, on the draft guidance for firms to support existing mortgage borrowers.
FSB Reports Assess NBFI Sector and Progress on LIBOR Transition
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a report that assesses progress on the transition from the Interbank Offered Rates, or IBORs, to overnight risk-free rates as well as a report that assesses global trends in the non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector.
