FIN-FSA Supports COVID-19 Relief Measures of EBA and ECB for Banks
FIN-FSA confirms, in line with the decisions taken by ECB, that banks are temporarily exempt from fulfilling certain additional capital and liquidity requirements, in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This will enhance the ability of credit institutions to provide funding to non-financial corporations and households and will alleviate the negative economic effects of the pandemic. The FIN-FSA Board has started work on an immediate review of the level of capital requirements that are subject to national decision-making. FIN-FSA continues to monitor the situation and banks’ contingency measures to address possible effects of the coronavirus on the domestic banking sector.
ECB and EBA, on March 12, 2020, had decided on several measures to facilitate lending by banks. ECB announced measures that provide the directly supervised (by ECB) banks with flexibility in the fulfillment of certain additional capital and liquidity requirements. These measures aim to support banks in addressing market uncertainty related to the COVID-19 and in continuing to fulfill their role in funding the real economy. Of the credit institutions operating in Finland, the entities directly supervised by ECB are Nordea Bank Abp, OP Financial Group, and Municipality Finance Plc. FIN-FSA points out that the own funds that Finnish banks under the direct supervision of ECB or FIN-FSA can use to fulfill the Pillar 2 additional capital requirement are, however, provided by law. The other measures provided by ECB are also available to banks directly supervised by the FIN-FSA, if necessary.
In addition, EBA wants to let banks to focus on and ensure continuity of their core operations and has decided to postpone the EU-wide stress test exercise until 2021. In line with this decision by EBA, FIN-FSA has also decided to postpone to 2021 the stress test exercise for banks under its direct supervision. Additionally, FIN-FSA has taken contingency measures in view of the corona virus to ensure the safety and well-being of staff members and the continuity of the FIN-FSA operations. FIN-FSA is also closely monitoring the situation on the financial markets and in supervised entities in cooperation with other Finnish authorities and European supervisors. The corona virus situation at the FIN-FSA is being monitored and procedures coordinated in a joint group together with the Bank of Finland.
Related Links
Keywords: Europe, EU, Finland, Banking, Stress Testing, COVID 19, Capital Requirements, Liquidity Requirements, Pillar 2, ECB, EBA, FIN-FSA
Featured Experts
María Cañamero
Skilled market researcher; growth strategist; successful go-to-market campaign developer
Metin Epözdemir
Metin Epözdemir helps European and African banks with design and implementation of credit risk, stress testing, capital management, and credit loss accounting solutions.
Amnon Levy
Financial researcher; authority in credit portfolio management and AI/ML, risk-based pricing, climate and credit, CECL/IFRS 9; credit and ALM
Previous Article
FIN-FSA Outlines Focus Areas and Publishes Annual Report for 2019Related Articles
APRA Finalizes Reporting Standard for Operational Risk Requirements
APRA finalized the reporting standard ARS 115.0 on capital adequacy with respect to the standardized measurement approach to operational risk for authorized deposit-taking institutions in Australia.
ECB Publishes Guide for Determining Penalties for Regulatory Breaches
ECB published a guide that outlines the principles and methods for calculating the penalties for regulatory breaches of prudential requirements by banks.
MAS Sets Out Good Practices to Manage Operational Risks Amid COVID
MAS and The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) jointly issued a paper that sets out good practices for the management of operational and other risks stemming from new work arrangements adopted by financial institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
ACPR Announces New Data Collection Application for Banks and Insurers
ACPR announced that a new data collection application, called DLPP (Datalake for Prudential), for collecting banking and insurance prudential data will go into production on April 12, 2021.
BCB Maintains CCyB at 0%, Initiates First Cycle of Regulatory Sandbox
BCB announced that the Financial Stability Committee decided to maintain the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) for Brazil at 0%, at least until the end of 2021.
EBA Consults on Pillar 3 Disclosure Standards for ESG Risks Under CRR
EBA is consulting on the implementing technical standards for Pillar 3 disclosures on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks, as set out in requirements under Article 449a of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).
ESAs Issue Advice on KPIs on Sustainability for Nonfinancial Reporting
ESAs Issue Advice on KPIs on Sustainability for Nonfinancial Reporting
EIOPA Launches Study on Non-Life Underwriting Risk in Internal Models
EIOPA has launched a European-wide comparative study on non-life underwriting risk in internal models, also kicking-off of the data collection phase.
SRB Publishes Overview of Resolution Tools Available in Banking Union
SRB published an overview of the resolution tools available in the Banking Union and their impact on a bank’s ability to maintain continuity of access to financial market infrastructure services in resolution.
EU Amends CRD4 and CRD5 as Part of Capital Markets Recovery Package
EU published Directive 2021/338, which amends the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II and the Capital Requirements Directives (CRD 4 and 5) to facilitate recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
