national competent authorities

ESMA Establishes New CNS

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On May 23, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published a press release which announced the establishment of a new coordination network on sustainability (CNS), which will be chaired by Ana María Martínez-Pina Garcia for two years with immediate effect. The CNS will:

  • Develop the coordination of national competent authorities’ (NCAs) work on sustainability.
  • Be responsible for the development of policy in this area, with a strategic view on issues related to integrating sustainability considerations into financial regulation.

The work will support the European Commission’s sustainability action plan in the areas of investment services and investment funds. The EU envisages a shift towards a more sustainable finance system in the medium and long term and securities regulators must therefore make sustainable finance a key part of their supervisory and enforcement activities.

ESMA Publishes Guidelines on Risk Factors Under Prospectus Regulation

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On March 29, the European Sescurities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published a report setting out final guidelines on how national competent authorities (NCAs) should review risk factors as required by the new Prospectus Regulation. The aim of the guidelines is to encourage more appropriate, focussed and streamlined risk factor disclosures for securities and are intended to assist NCAs in their review of disclosure. ESMA noted that in 2019 it will focus on the consistency of application of the guidelines on risk factors by NCAs.

The purpose of including risk factors in a prospectus is to help investors make informed investment decisions by enabling them to assess the risks. Risk factors generally include information concerning: the issuer’s financial situation, business activities and industry; the nature of the security; external risks such as legal and regulatory, environmental, social and governance.

A copy of the report can be found here.

ESMA Publishes Peer Review Report on Compliance with SSR Regarding Market Making Activities

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On January 5, the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) published a peer review report aimed at assessing how national competent authorities (“NCAs”) apply the exemption for market making activities foreseen in Article 17 of the Short Selling Regulation (SSR).  The report reviewed whether the NCAs are applying the general principles and criteria of eligibility for the exemption in compliance with the corresponding ESMA Guidelines and to identify good practices.

The report concluded that all NCAs have dedicated resources and have designed processes to handle the notification of exemptions and the notification functions are staffed with capable, knowledgeable and committed staff and that there are a number of approaches taken by NCAs.

The report highlighted some areas for concern, including: NCAs are not properly seeking assurance, in advance, that market makers seeking an exemption comply with the organizational requirement of the ESMA Guidelines; and many NCAs are too reliant on monitoring by trading venues rather than monitoring by the NCAs themselves. Report.

ESMA Compliance Table Relating to MiFID Remuneration

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On October 7, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published a guidelines compliance table relating to its guidelines on remuneration policies and practices under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID).

The table lists the jurisdictions whose national competent authorities (NCAs) have informed ESMA whether they comply or intend to comply with the guidelines. The only jurisdiction in the table listed as not complying is Germany. There is a comment in the table that states that the German NCA (BaFin) does not entirely comply with the guidelines insofar as it excludes from their scope any remuneration agreed within the scope of application of collective agreements. Guidelines Compliance Table.