ECB Consults on Guide for Managing Climate and Environmental Risks
ECB launched consultation on a guide specifying how the Banking Supervision expects banks to consider climate-related and environmental risks in their governance and risk management frameworks and when formulating and implementing their business strategy. The guide also outlines how ECB expects banks to become more transparent by enhancing their climate-related and environmental disclosures. The consultation on this guide ends on September 25, 2020. ECB expects that comments on this consultation document will provide valuable input for the finalization of the guide, which it then intends to also use in the supervisory dialog.
The guide aims to raise industry awareness of climate-related and environmental risks and to improve the management of such risks. The guide explains that ECB expects significant banks to use (stress) scenarios to assess if climate-related and environmental risks are material with regard to their business strategy and to inform their decisions. Furthermore, ECB expects institutions with material climate-related and environmental risks to evaluate whether their bank-internal stress testing is appropriate, with a view to incorporating those risks in their baseline and adverse scenarios. ECB wants banks to account for these risks, given that they drive existing prudential risk categories and can substantially impact the real economy and banks. Banks are expected to assess whether their current practices are safe and prudent in the light of the expectations and, if necessary, to start adapting them.
The guide was drafted in close cooperation with the national competent authorities to ensure that high supervisory standards are applied consistently across the euro area. It also draws on the experience gained from assessing banks’ current practices and their approaches to climate-related and environmental risks. The guide is designed to fit within the boundaries of applicable EU and national law. It aims to foster banks’ preparedness for managing climate-related and environmental risks under current prudential rules, in accordance with the EC Action plan on financing sustainable growth and the EBA Action plan on sustainable finance. ECB acknowledged that banks face significant challenges as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the immediate attention of ECB is on the pandemic, it remains committed to further advancing the management and disclosure of climate-related and environmental risks in the banking sector.
Related Links
Keywords: Europe, EU, Banking, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Climate Change Risk, Disclosures, Stress Testing, CRD, Basel, ECB
Featured Experts
Amnon Levy
Financial researcher; authority in credit portfolio management and AI/ML, risk-based pricing, climate and credit, CECL/IFRS 9; credit and ALM
Emil Lopez
Credit risk modeling advisor; IFRS 9 researcher; data quality and risk reporting manager
James Partridge
Credit analytics expert helping clients understand, develop, and implement credit models for origination, monitoring, and regulatory reporting.
Previous Article
EBA Assesses Interlinkages Between Recovery and Resolution PlanningRelated Articles
PRA Consults on Implementation of Certain Provisions of CRD5
PRA, via the consultation paper CP12/20, proposed changes to its rules, supervisory statements, and statements of policy to implement certain elements of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD5).
EIOPA Report Identifies Key Financial Stability Risks for Insurers
EIOPA published the financial stability report that provides detailed quantitative and qualitative assessment of the key risks identified for the insurance and occupational pensions sectors in the European Economic Area.
EBA Publishes Risk Dashboard for First Quarter of 2020
EBA published its risk dashboard for the first quarter of 2020 together with the results of the risk assessment questionnaire.
EBA Issues Updates on Stress Test Exercise for Banks in EU
EBA announced that the next stress testing exercise is expected to be launched at the end of January 2021 and its results are to be published at the end of July 2021.
PRA Proposes Guidance Related to Matching Adjustment under Solvency II
PRA published the consultation paper CP11/20 that sets out its expectations and guidance related to auditors’ work on the matching adjustment under Solvency II.
MAS Issues Guidance on Dividend Distributions by Banks
MAS published a statement guidance on dividend distribution by banks.
APRA Updates Guidance on Capital Management for Banks
APRA updated its capital management guidance for banks, particularly easing restrictions around paying dividends as institutions continue to manage the disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
FSB Report Reviews Macro-Prudential Framework and Tools in Germany
FSB published a report that reviews the progress on data collection for macro-prudential analysis and the availability and use of macro-prudential tools in Germany.
EBA Urges Firms to Finalize Preparations for End of Brexit Transition
EBA issued a statement reminding financial institutions that the transition period between EU and UK will expire on December 31, 2020; this will end the possibility for the UK-based financial institutions to offer financial services to EU customers on a cross-border basis via passporting.
SRB on Operational Continuity in Resolution and FMI Contingency Plans
SRB published guidance on operational continuity in resolution and financial market infrastructure (FMI) contingency plans.
