OSFI Consults on Revisions to BCAR and Leverage Requirements Returns
OSFI proposed revisions to the Basel Capital Adequacy Reporting (BCAR) and leverage requirements returns for the 2023 reporting, with the comment period ending on July 09, 2021. The proposed revisions to the BCAR and leverage requirements returns reflect the regulatory changes (proposed in March 2021) to introduce the latest and final round of Basel III reforms into the capital, leverage, and liquidity requirements as well as the related disclosure guidelines for banks. The proposed revisions to the BCAR and leverage requirements returns also include requirements applicable to small and medium-size deposit-taking institutions (SMSBs).
The BCAR regulatory return will transition to XML filing format from the current “.dat” filing format, effective for the first quarter of 2023 filing and subsequent periods. The transition is driven by the upcoming changes to the BCAR regulatory return and to support system scalability and enhancements. OSFI will support this transition by providing clear specifications, guidance, and tools (for example, XML/XSD files, technical specifications, and instructions). OSFI also published the revised reporting manuals for BCAR and leverage requirements returns. The BCAR return collects data and details on the calculation of the risk-based capital ratio of the reporting institution. For domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs), the return also collects data used to calculate the risk-based Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity (TLAC) ratio of the reporting D-SIB, along with the details of the calculation. The leverage requirements return covers the leverage ratio of the reporting institution, along with details of the calculation. Both the returns are required to be completed on a quarterly fiscal basis and filed within 30 days of fiscal quarter-end.
Related Links
- Notification
- Summary of Proposed Changes to BCAR Return
- Draft Changes to BCAR Return (XLSX)
- Draft Changes to Leverage Requirements Return (XLSX)
- BCAR Reporting Manual
- Leverage Requirements Return Reporting Manual
Comment Due Date: July 09, 2021
Keywords: Americas, Canada, Banking, BCAR, Basel, Reporting, Regulatory Capital, Credit Risk, Leverage Ratio, OSFI
Featured Experts

María Cañamero
Skilled market researcher; growth strategist; successful go-to-market campaign developer

Nicolas Degruson
Works with financial institutions, regulatory experts, business analysts, product managers, and software engineers to drive regulatory solutions across the globe.

Patrycja Oleksza
Applies proficiency and knowledge to regulatory capital and reporting analysis and coordinates business and product strategies in the banking technology area
Related Articles
FINMA Approves Merger of Credit Suisse and UBS
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has approved the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS.
BOE Sets Out Its Thinking on Regulatory Capital and Climate Risks
The Bank of England (BOE) published a working paper that aims to understand the climate-related disclosures of UK financial institutions.
OSFI Finalizes on Climate Risk Guideline, Issues Other Updates
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is seeking comments, until May 31, 2023, on the draft guideline on culture and behavior risk, with final guideline expected by the end of 2023.
APRA Assesses Macro-Prudential Policy Settings, Issues Other Updates
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) published an information paper that assesses its macro-prudential policy settings aimed at promoting stability at a systemic level.
BIS Paper Examines Impact of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Lending
BIS issued a paper that investigates the effect of the greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions of firms on bank loans using bank–firm matched data of Japanese listed firms from 2006 to 2018.
HMT Mulls Alignment of Ring-Fencing and Resolution Regimes for Banks
The HM Treasury (HMT) is seeking evidence, until May 07, 2023, on practicalities of aligning the ring-fencing and the banking resolution regimes for banks.
MFSA Sets Out Supervisory Priorities, Issues Reporting Updates
The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) outlined its supervisory priorities for 2023
German Regulators Issue Multiple Reporting Updates for Banks
Deutsche Bundesbank published the nationally deactivated validation rules for the German Commercial Code (HGB) users on the taxonomy 3.2, which became valid from December 31, 2022
BCBS Report Examines Impact of Basel III Framework for Banks
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) published results of the Basel III monitoring exercise based on the June 30, 2022 data.
PRA Consults on Prudential Rules for "Simpler-Regime" Firms
Among the recent regulatory updates from UK authorities, a key development is the first-phase consultation, from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), on simplifications to the prudential framework that would apply to the simpler-regime firms.