EUROPE

ESG / Sustainability

BOE Explores Options for Greening Bond Purchase Programme

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 26/05/2021

The BOE is exploring tools to incentivise companies whose debt it holds to take decisive action to achieve net zero in meaningful and lasting ways.

Market Infrastructure

EU Ramps Up Regulatory Scrutiny Over Foreign Bank Branches

By Editors | 25/05/2021

New rules will require foreign banks operating in the EU to consolidate their operations under an “intermediate parent undertaking”.

ESG / Sustainability

EBA Publishes Results of Pilot Exercise on Climate Risk

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 25/05/2021

The first gauge of the EU aggregated green asset ratio was estimated at 7.9%. Over half of banks’ overall exposures are to sectors that might be sensitive to transition risk.

Market Infrastructure

G7 Close to Deal on Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 24/05/2021

A US Treasury’s proposal to accept a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% has reportedly been met with enthusiasm in Europe.

Securities / Derivatives

ESMA Recommends Lower Short Position Reporting Threshold

By Editors | 24/05/2021

ESMA says a “substantial amount” of essential information became available to NCAs after the notification threshold was lowered to 0.1% last year.

Enforcement

Nomura, UBS, UniCredit Fined for Participating in Trading Cartel

By Editors | 24/05/2021

During Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, the banks shared information about their EGB bidding and trading strategies in Bloomberg terminal chat rooms.

Market Infrastructure

FCA Consults on Use of New Powers to Facilitate LIBOR Transition

By Editors | 22/05/2021

The consultation will help the FCA decide on what legacy use to permit for non-representative benchmarks and how it will prohibit new use of critical benchmarks that are ceasing.

Market Infrastructure

Credit Sensitive Alternatives to RFRs Have Limited Durability: Bailey

By Manesh Samtani | 17/05/2021

Non-financial borrowers may not want their cost of borrowing to be driven by thin liquidity in CP and CD markets, says BOE governor Andrew Bailey.

AML / KYC

US DOJ Penalises Swiss Life for Facilitating Tax Evasion

By Editors | 16/05/2021

Swiss Life and its subsdiaries created and marketed insurance products specially designed for US persons seeking to hide offshore assets and evade tax.