HM Treasury has published a letter addressed to the Chair of the European Union Committee of the House of Lords concerning equivalence for financial services as a result of Brexit. In the letter, HM Treasury confirms that the priority for the U.K. Government is to obtain equivalence from the EU (and grant the same to the EU for U.K. purposes) by June 30, 2020 across all areas of the financial services sector where the EU framework currently provides for equivalence. There are just over 40 areas within the existing EU equivalence framework. This is in line with the EU-U.K. Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement is subject to approval by the EU on January 29, 2020. The U.K. legislation to implement the Withdrawal Agreement, the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, received Royal Assent on January 23, 2020.

HM Treasury also confirms that discussions have already been held with countries outside the EU regarding the U.K.'s equivalence framework and states that the U.K. could grant equivalence even where there is no EU equivalence, confirming the U.K.'s sovereign rights following Brexit.

View the letter.

You may like to view our client note: "The EU-UK Future Relationship: EU Announces its Timetable For Cross-Border Equivalence in Financial Services", dated January 15, 2020.

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