Regnology Nexus Briefing | August 2026

05 August 2026: The European Banking Authority (EBA) is consulting on a new reporting framework to support the validation and ongoing monitoring of initial margin models based on the ‘Standard Initial Margin Model’ (SIMM) developed by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). The proposed reporting requirements will provide the EBA with information necessary to effectively perform its role as central validator of pro forma models under EMIR, while ensuring a proportionate approach for reporting entities. The consultation runs until 2 November 2026.

3 August 2026: EBA published a no-action letter on the trading book boundary and shared technical clarifications to support a consistent implementation of the revised market risk (FRTB) framework. These measures are designed to provide clarity for EU banks and ensure a harmonized application of the new rules ahead of their implementation.

3 August 2026: The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published a final report proposing to simplify the bilateral margin requirements under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The proposed amendments to the Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) aim to reduce compliance costs and operational burdens for counterparties without compromising financial stability.

31 July 2026: ESAs published a statement calling for a cross-sectoral, risk-based supervisory approach to mitigate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) risks from frontier AI models. The statement urges financial institutions to adopt robust governance and risk management practices to address potential vulnerabilities stemming from this emerging technology.

31 July 2026: The Data Point Model Alliance (EBA, ECB, EIOPA) launched a public consultation on enhancements to their DPM metamodel, a key initiative to simplify and integrate statistical and supervisory reporting across the EU. The consultation seeks feedback on improvements to the data dictionary to make financial sector reporting smarter and more proportionate. The DPM 2.1 consultation is open till 30 September 2026.

31 July 2026: The European Central Bank (ECB) published the results of its 2026 reverse stress test on geopolitical risks, which involved 110 directly supervised banks. The exercise required banks to design a plausible geopolitical scenario that would cause a 300-basis-point drop in their CET1 ratio. While banks demonstrated an ability to create tailored scenarios, the ECB noted weaknesses in stress-testing frameworks, including overly optimistic assumptions on mitigating actions and a need to better integrate solvency-liquidity interactions and non-financial risks.

30 Jul 2026: SRB published renewed Operational Guidance for banks on Business Reorganization Plan Analysis Reports, which includes a complementary quantitative template. The guidance provides a consolidated and transparent framework to help banks strengthen their crisis preparedness and enhance the credibility and feasibility of their reorganization plans.

24 July 2026: EBA requested feedback on the draft technical package for version 4.4 of its reporting and disclosure framework. The proposed updates cover the implementation of IFRS 18 reporting requirements, new Pillar 3 ESG disclosures, and other technical amendments to ensure the framework remains current.

23 July 2026: EBA launched four public consultations on rules designed to strengthen depositor protection under the revised Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD3). The consultations cover technical standards on depositor information, information exchange between authorities, client funds protection, and guidelines for how DGSs should invest their funds.

20 Jul 2026: The Single Resolution Board (SRB) released its MREL Dashboard for the second half of 2025, showing that banks under its remit continue to meet their Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities (MREL) targets. The average MREL target for resolution entities was 27.8% of Total Risk Exposure Amount (TREA).

20 July 2026: The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published a follow-up report assessing the progress made by six national competent authorities (NCAs) in supervising the cross-border activities of investment firms. The report highlights notable improvements since 2022, including stronger authorization controls, more data-driven supervision, and enhanced cooperation. ESMA concluded that these efforts have helped strengthen investor protection across the EU Single Market.

17 July 2026: EBA published its final draft technical standards on the prudential assessment of material acquisitions, mergers, and divisions under the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). These standards aim to clarify supervisory expectations and promote a consistent assessment framework to support banking consolidation and market integration in the EU.

17 July 2026: EBA launched a consultation on amendments to the Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) for its 2027 market risk benchmarking exercise. The proposed changes ensure the benchmarking data collection remains aligned with the evolving regulatory framework for internal models and the standardized approach.

15 Jul 2026: The SRB  Chair  Dominique Laboureix delivered a speech to the ECON Committee on "Simplification, Competitiveness and Crisis Preparedness." The Chair emphasized that genuine simplification requires a holistic approach, particularly concerning MREL and liquidity, to maintain the effectiveness and credibility of the resolution framework.

10 July 2026: The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) announced the launch of the data collection process for the first implementation phase of the European Single Access Point (ESAP). Officially Appointed Mechanisms (OAMs) and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) have now started providing information and metadata to the platform. This marks a key milestone toward the public go-live of ESAP by July 2027, which will offer free, centralized access to financial and sustainability information about EU entities and their products.

31 July 2026: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a final set of 64 Master Directions for its supervised entities, completing a major consolidation exercise. The new directions consolidate 628 previous circulars into a single, structured framework covering 11 types of regulated entities, including banks, NBFCs, and cooperative banks. This initiative aims to simplify the regulatory landscape, minimize compliance costs, and create a single library of supervisory instructions on an "as is" basis, with the 628 older circulars now being repealed.

30 July 2026: RBI issued a final set of ten Amendment Directions revising the extant instructions on Basel Pillar 3 disclosures for commercial banks, small finance banks, and payments banks. The final rules, following a public consultation in May 2026, cover prudential norms on capital adequacy, asset-liability management, governance, and financial statement disclosures. The RBI noted that specific disclosure templates for market risk, operational risk, and leverage ratio for commercial banks will be issued separately.

27 July 2026: The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) confirmed it will remake three prudential standards for Level 3 conglomerates ahead of their sunsetting date of 1 October 2026. Following a consultation, APRA stated the changes are administrative only, to update references and insert standard paragraphs, and do not impose any new requirements on conglomerate groups. The affected standards are 3PS 310, 3PS 221, and 3PS 222.

24 July 2026: HKMA issued VIR-1 and VIR-2, two chapters of the Code of Practice, pursuant to section 196 of the Financial Institutions (Resolution) Ordinance (Cap. 628) (“FIRO”). Chapter VIR- 1 outlines the valuations required under the FIRO and sets out how the valuations are generally anticipated to be carried out, including the methodologies, process and output. Chapter VIR-2 provides guidance on the capabilities and arrangements an authorized institution should be put in place to support timely and robust valuation in resolution, as well as the MA's approach to implementation.

16 Jul 2026: RBI issued a final set of 16 amendment directions establishing prudential norms for Specified Non-financial Assets (SNFA) acquired by regulated entities. Following a public consultation in May 2026, the final rules amend the existing frameworks for both the "Resolution of Stressed Assets" and "Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning" (IRACP). The directions apply to a wide range of entities, including commercial banks, NBFCs, and co-operative banks, to provide a clear and consistent approach for the valuation and management of these assets.

10 July 2026: APRA released a consultation on minor technical and clarifying updates to the prudential and reporting framework. The proposed amendments, which do not represent a material change in policy, affect authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs), insurers, and superannuation licensees. The consultation is part of APRA's process for making timely technical changes to ensure the framework remains clear and accurate.

10 July 2026: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued guidelines setting out its expectations for liquidity risk management practices for banks, merchant banks, and finance companies. The guidelines cover governance frameworks, risk management processes, and emphasize the need for robust liquidity stress testing and operationally ready contingency funding plans. The new guidelines will take effect on 10 July 2027.

8 July 2026: This APRA guidance clarifies reporting expectations under Reporting Standard ARS 796.0 Points of Presence (ARS 796) for Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) managing co-located face-to-face banking channels. To ensure consistent and comparable data on physical banking services, APRA requires multiple face-to-face channels sharing the same premise to be reported as a single point of presence, classified as a "branch" if a branch is present, or as "other face-to-face" if it consists only of non-branch channels. Channels in separate geographic locations or operating with separate customer entrances on different floors within the same building must continue to be reported as distinct points of presence.

RBI has introduced the Commercial Banks Supervisory Returns Directions, 2026, establishing a unified and mandatory supervisory reporting framework for commercial banks, effective 31 July 2026. The Directions strengthen governance, data quality, risk data aggregation, and reporting capabilities, while requiring robust IT architecture and business continuity arrangements. Banks are required to commence the prescribed weekly, fortnightly, monthly, and quarterly supervisory returns from 7 August 2026 onwards, supporting the RBI's enhanced risk-based and data-driven supervisory approach.

As per industry sources, the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) STREAM project (Phase 1), a regulatory initiative designed to transition financial reporting to a highly granular, automated, and standardized data model is expected to roll out in 3 phases starting from 2026 and expanding well over 2030. It mandates that reporting institutions submit transaction-level data for Deposits and customer-level profile data with strict, multi-tiered validations to enhance risk management, supervisory capabilities, and compliance tracking. The regulation There has been an update on the initial communication on STREAM in July 2026 expanding the regulation to incorporate domains for Payments and Financial Derivatives and detailed specification for validation and submission requirement for all domains including Customer and Deposits.