Regnology Nexus Briefing | July 2026

01 July 2026: The European Banking Authority (EBA) published a Discussion Paper seeking feedback on simplifying and enhancing disclosures under the EU Taxonomy Regulation. This consultation is the first step in providing technical advice to the European Commission for its review of the Disclosures Delegated Act. The paper outlines preliminary proposals to simplify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the trading book, fees and commissions, and off-balance sheet items for credit institutions and investment firms. The consultation, part of a broader simplification effort across the ESAs, is open for comments until 12 August 2026.

30 June 2026: EBA published revised Guidelines on product oversight and governance (POG) to address the risks of greenwashing in retail banking products. The targeted amendments require manufacturers and distributors of retail banking products, including mortgages, loans, deposits, and payment services, to integrate ESG considerations throughout the entire product lifecycle. This includes internal controls, target market identification, and distribution, ensuring sustainability-related claims are clear and fair to protect consumers. The updated guidelines will apply from 11 January 2027.

29 June 2026: EBA published the 2025 Report on supervisory convergence, highlighting continued progress in aligning supervisory practices across the EU. The report shows how strong and consistent supervision can support the simplification of the regulatory framework and reduce unnecessary complexity. While progress has been made, EBA identified areas where further convergence is needed to ensure a level playing field across the Single Market.

29 June 2026: EBA published a roadmap for implementing the revised Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD3). The roadmap outlines the timeline for developing a suite of regulatory products designed to strengthen depositor protection across the EU. Key deliverables will focus on ensuring depositors are better informed of their rights and that national deposit guarantee schemes are fully prepared to act when needed.

26 June 2026: The European Central Bank (ECB) initiated a comprehensive review of its supervisory publications to enhance clarity and reduce the regulatory burden for supervised institutions. This initiative will involve discontinuing approximately 40 outdated or redundant documents, including various guidelines and recommendations. The goal is to create a more efficient, risk-based supervisory framework that is easier for banks to navigate and apply consistently. The ECB aims to make its guidance more accessible and directly relevant to the current supervisory priorities and risk landscape.

29 June 2026: The Single Resolution Board (SRB) has introduced a new procedure to accelerate authorizations for the early redemption of eligible liabilities (MREL) instruments. Effective from 1 July 2026, the streamlined process ensures that eligible applications will receive this "prior permission" within a maximum of one month. This initiative is a concrete step in the SRB’s broader simplification strategy, aimed at reducing procedural complexities for banks while maintaining a robust resolution framework.

26 June 2026: EBA published its final revised Guidelines on the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP) and supervisory stress testing. This is a core part of the EBA's simplification agenda, creating a more risk-focused, proportionate, and efficient framework for supervisors. The revised guidelines will promote a more forward-looking approach to supervision and enhance consistency across the EU, ensuring that supervisors focus their efforts on the most significant risks to the banking system.

26 June 2026: As part of its regular quarterly review, EBA published an updated list of validation rules for its reporting frameworks. This package identifies rules that have been deactivated due to inaccuracies, reactivated after correction, or had their severity status changed. This ongoing maintenance is crucial to ensuring the quality and consistency of data submitted by institutions, which underpin EBA’s risk analysis and supervisory activities.

26 June 2026: EBA launched a Consultation Paper on its draft methodology for setting fines for issuers of significant crypto-assets under MiCA. The proposed framework aims to ensure that any fines imposed are consistent, proportionate, and transparent. By establishing a clear methodology based on the severity and duration of infringements, the EBA intends to effectively support compliance and deter misconduct within the crypto-asset market.

22 June 2026: EBA published its final draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) amending the Pillar 3 framework, significantly enhancing disclosures on ESG risks. The new rules aim to provide stakeholders with more granular, comparable data by introducing standardized templates for climate-related transition and physical risks. The update also simplifies some existing requirements and introduces new disclosure obligations for large institutions regarding their exposures to equity instruments and shadow banking entities, promoting greater market discipline and transparency.

18 June 2026: EBA published the 2025 Reports on the annual market and credit risk benchmarking exercises. The findings show continued progress in reducing unwarranted variability in the outcomes of banks' internal models across the EU. While consistency has improved, the EBA highlighted several areas requiring further supervisory attention to ensure the reliability of internal models as key regulatory reforms, like Basel 3.1, approach full implementation.

16 June 2026: EBA published a comprehensive review of the EU's prudential and resolution capital framework, proposing significant simplifications to reduce complexity. The proposals aim to streamline the intricate "stacking order" of capital requirements without compromising bank resilience or resolvability. This initiative is part of the EBA's broader efficiency program and seeks to ensure the framework remains focused on material risks while reducing the administrative burden on institutions across the EU.

12 June 2026: SRB held a technical meeting on its operational guidance for banks, focusing on the critical aspects of liquidity and funding in a resolution scenario. The session aimed to clarify the SRB's expectations for how firms should prepare for a crisis, including their ability to mobilize collateral and forecast funding needs. The guidance is part of the SRB's broader effort to ensure banks are resolvable and that financial stability can be maintained during a failure.

12 June 2026: The Dutch Central Bank (DNB) has issued an update for investment firms to provide further clarification on the calculation of fixed overheads under the Investment Firm Regulation (IFR). The guidance addresses specific interpretative questions raised by the sector, aiming to ensure a consistent and accurate application of the requirement. This capital requirement, based on a firm's fixed costs, is a key prudential measure designed to ensure that investment firms can wind down in an orderly manner without causing undue harm to the market.

11 June 2026: EBA launched an early consultation on the methodology for the 2027 EU-wide stress test. The exercise introduces significant simplifications, including reduced data requirements and alignment with supervisory reporting to improve efficiency. For the first time, it will also integrate climate risks into the scenario. By launching the consultation earlier than usual, the EBA aims to give the 63 participating banks from the EU and Norway ample time to prepare.

08 June 2026: EBA published a Discussion Paper on a simplified Pillar 3 Data Hub process for small and non-complex institutions (SNCIs). The paper proposes an approach where the EBA would collect data and manage the calculation and publication of Pillar 3 disclosures on behalf of SNCIs. This would significantly reduce the reporting burden for smaller banks, allowing them to benefit from the data hub's increased visibility and comparability without the associated implementation costs.

08 June 2026: ECB outlined the main milestones for implementing the Integrated Reporting Framework (IReF), which aims to harmonize statistical reporting for euro area banks. Key milestones include a public consultation on the draft IReF Regulation in the second half of 2027, followed by a one-year pilot reporting phase starting in Q2 2030. The first official reporting of IReF data is scheduled for 2031, marking a major step towards a more efficient, integrated data-collection system.

01 July 2026:  The FRB, FDIC, and OCC are adopting a final rule (see Regulation Q at 3-2100) that lowers the community bank leverage ratio (CBLR) requirement and extends the length of time that certain depository institutions and depository institution holding companies can remain in the CBLR framework while not meeting all of the qualifying criteria, effective 01 July 2026.

25 June 2026: Canada's Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions launched a new, streamlined approvals framework to simplify the application process for new entrants into the federally regulated financial sector. The initiative aims to enhance transparency and efficiency, making it easier for new players to navigate the regulatory landscape. By promoting responsible competition while maintaining stringent prudential oversight, OSFI seeks to foster innovation and a more dynamic financial system.

25 June 2026: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Board of Directors approved a proposal to change the asset-size thresholds used for calculating deposit insurance assessments. The proposed rule would re-categorize banks, affecting how their assessment rates are determined. The goal is to better align the assessment system with each bank's risk profile, ensuring that institutions posing greater risk to the Deposit Insurance Fund contribute more. The proposal is now open for public comment.

24 June 2026: The Federal Reserve's 2026 stress test results demonstrated the resilience of the U.S. banking system, with all 32 large banks tested remaining above their minimum capital requirements. Under a severe global recession scenario, banks would suffer combined losses of $708 billion but would still maintain capital ratios more than double the minimum requirement. The results confirm that the largest banks are well-positioned to continue lending to households and businesses even during a sharp economic downturn.

06 June 2026: In a cautionary speech titled "Deregulating in a Financial Boom: What Could Go Wrong?", Governor Barr argued against recent and proposed deregulatory steps in banking. He expressed strong concerns that weakening post-crisis safeguards, particularly for large regional banks, could increase financial stability risks and undermine the resilience of the system. Governor Barr emphasized that robust capital, liquidity, and resolution planning requirements are essential to prevent a repeat of past financial crises.