EBA published final draft technical standards on countercyclical buffer disclosure

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published its final draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on disclosure of information related to the countercyclical capital buffer (CCB), said EBA in a press release.

These RTS will be part of the EU Single Rulebook aimed at enhancing regulatory harmonisation in the EU banking sector.

In particular, the use of uniform templates for the disclosure of the CCB will facilitate geographical comparison and ensure transparency of the CCB buffer for all financial institutions across the EU.

These technical standards specify what information institutions must disclose in relation to their requirements for a countercyclical capital buffer (CBB). In this respect, the RTS provide two tabular disclosure templates that harmonise the information available to the general public on the institution-specific CCB and the geographical location of the exposures determining that buffer.

The use of uniform templates will facilitate the geographical comparison of the amounts that enter the calculation of the CCB. This will also ensure transparency in the calculation of the buffer for all financial institutions across the EU.

Institutions shall provide disclosure in accordance with the specifications of these RTS at the earlier of these two dates: six months following the date of their publication in the Official Journal or 1 January 2016.

Legal basis

These final draft RTS have been developed according to Article 440 of the Capital Requirements Regulation, which mandates the EBA to specify the disclosure requirements related to the CCB.