The European Commission has set out the elements of MAR that it wishes to consider as part of a planned review.
Key Points:
..The formal review of MAR will consider not only the topics mandated for review by the...more
Recent and upcoming regulatory guidance on cryptoassets and the regulation of companies engaged in digital currency, such as issuers, crypto-exchanges, crypto-custodians, crypto-brokers, and other service providers, could...more
3/13/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Payment Processors ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Reform ,
UK
The FCA has issued feedback from its review of firms’ costs and charges disclosures under MiFID II.
Key Points:
..The FCA found that, despite firms being aware of the rules and taking compliance seriously, firms are not...more
The FCA outlines how it intends to use its temporary transitional powers in a no-deal scenario.
Key Points:
..The FCA has highlighted areas in which transitional relief will not be granted in a no-deal...more
ESMA and the EBA publish documents considering the application of the EU regulatory regime to crypto-assets and ICOs.
Key Points:
..ESMA highlights the importance of taking a technology-neutral approach to regulation,...more
HM Treasury has published draft legislation that will allow the UK to make timely equivalence decisions in relation to the EU.
Key Points:
..Post-Brexit, HM Treasury will take on the role of making equivalence decisions...more
1/22/2019
/ Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) ,
Credit Rating Agencies ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
EU Benchmark Regulation ,
EU Prospectus Regime ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HM Treasury ,
MiFIR ,
Onshoring ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Short Selling ,
Solvency II ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
Report concludes that the AIFMD has been helpful in building a market for AIFs, but is not free from issues.
Key Points:
..The report concludes that the AIFMD has played a significant role in helping to create an...more
1/15/2019
/ AIFs ,
Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
EU Passport ,
European Commission ,
Investment Funds ,
Packaged Retail And Insurance-Based Investment Products (PRIIPS) ,
Private Equity ,
Private Placements ,
UCITS
The UK’s temporary permissions regime appears to be a helpful concession for inbound firms, but there are some hidden challenges.
Key Points:
..The UK regulators have set out further details of the rules they propose...more
The FCA has published a second consultation on the Brexit onshoring project. Like the first, and many other Brexit onshoring documents, it is both long and very technical. However, a number of important policy points are...more
11/29/2018
/ Consultation ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Listing Rules ,
Onshoring ,
Packaged Retail And Insurance-Based Investment Products (PRIIPS) ,
Securities ,
Senior Management Regime (SMR) ,
UCITS ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
Latham & Watkins demystifies the process for onshoring the MiFID II regime, and outlines the key changes for firms operating in the UK.
Key Points:
..The onshoring process is designed to preserve the status quo as much...more
The FCA has outlined its approach to implementing key standards under the revised Payment Services Directive.
The FCA has published a statement on its website relating to the European Banking Authority’s (EBA’s) Opinion...more
MiFID II contains a number of inducements requirements, including rules relating to conflicts of interest, research, hospitality, corporate access, and payment for order flow. This Client Alert outlines these requirements and...more
The Commission shares the results of a 2017 study into the current functioning of European markets for retail investment products.
Key Points:
..The European Commission’s Final Report is the result of examining a broad...more
New EU anti-money laundering measures have been approved by European legislators.
The European Parliament and Council have finally signed off on the text of the fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (known as MLD5)....more
Driven by payments innovation and new regulation, 2018 is cited as the year for some of the most significant changes retail banking has seen.
At the Westminster Business Forum for Digital Payments, Adoption, Innovation and...more
Following our 7 November 2017 blog “Europe as a Hub for Initial Coin Offerings”, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published two statements on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The statements underline...more
On 15 November 2017, the European Central Bank (ECB) published a newsletter containing an article on how the ECB is dealing with the increasing number of fintech bank applications. The ECB is the banking supervisor, alongside...more
ESMA has published two statements highlighting ICO risks for investors and EU regulatory rules applicable to issuers and advisors involved with ICOs.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published two...more
Initial coin offerings (ICOs) involve issuers offering virtual coins or tokens that are created and disseminated using blockchain or distributed ledger technology. Virtual coins resemble cash in a number of ways but may also...more
The Project Stella report, a European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan (BOJ) joint venture, details the applicability of distributed ledger technology for financial market infrastructure. During a one-month research...more
The FCA has published its second Policy Statement on MiFID II implementation, plus a further Consultation Paper on residual issues.
Key Points:
..The FCA has made significant changes to some proposals, particularly in...more
Cloud services come with the promise of many benefits for the financial services sector. Cloud computing offers large-scale and cost-effective solutions for data storage and efficient processing and is also the underlying...more
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published its consultation document on security measures for operational and security risks under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2).
The WannaCry ransomware attack that...more
On April 28th, the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) published a report about Fintech and the influence of technology on the future of the financial sector. The report, prepared by Cora...more
Fifth Consultation Paper and first Policy Statement issued, with the FCA’s second Policy Statement due in June.
The FCA has just published two further papers on its approach to implementing MiFID II. The first, which is...more